Who Should I Start? Deebo Samuel or Cooper Kupp

Wednesday, May 1, 2:04 PM

The San Francisco 49ers were engaged in trade talks involving wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel leading up to the draft, but the team elected not to trade either of their star receivers, with all signs pointing toward both being on the 2024 roster. Aiyuk is entering the final year of his rookie deal, and the assumption was that he'd be the odd man out after the team paid Samuel and other star players. Samuel still has two years left on the deal he signed before the 2022 season. San Fran has been to at least the NFC Championship game in four of the last five seasons, and losing Aiyuk or Samuel would almost certainly make the team worse in 2024. The 49ers can afford to keep both this year, but an Aiyuk extension would likely reduce his $14.124 million salary cap number for 2024. Samuel's fantasy value would have likely taken a hit with a move out of the Bay Area.

Monday, January 15, 5:11 AM

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp did not produce much in the team's 24-23 wildcard loss to the Detroit Lions. Kupp caught five of his nine targets for just 27 yards. In his final game of the season, he finished with the sixth-most receiving yards on the team and did not end on a strong note. It has been clear that rookie WR Puka Nacua has overtaken Kupp as the team's number one receiver and that should be expected to remain going forward. Consider the former All-Pro as a high-end WR2 in fantasy drafts next season.