Who Should I Start? Deebo Samuel or Drake London

Friday, December 20, 11:40 PM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. will bring the least productive five-game stretch of his career into a Week 16 matchup in Miami on Sunday. He is averaging 3.3 half-PPR points over that stretch, including a 3.4-point performance last Thursday at home versus the Los Angeles Rams. Samuel Sr. reached a low point when he dropped an important 3rd-down pass in LA territory to a chorus of boos from the home fans. He'll have better days ahead -- he's certainly a better player than this -- but at this point, Samuel Sr. is untrustable in fantasy. In addition, Miami's tough pass defense has limited fantasy receivers to the second-lowest total in the league. Perhaps Samuel Sr. sees an increase in carries, with the 49ers down to their fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-string running backs due to a deluge of injuries. It might not matter much, though, as he's only averaging 2.7 yards per carry this year with one rushing touchdown, way back in Week 1. He's projected as a WR4 this week, and most Samuel Sr. managers still in the fantasy playoffs probably benched him long ago.

Friday, December 20, 9:27 PM

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London popped up as a limited participant in Friday's practice due to a knee injury but does not carry an injury designation for the contest and is expected to play. Of course, with fantasy championships potentially in play for some, managers will want to keep an eye out for any news in the event something changes. In Week 15, the 23-year-old scored for the first time since Week 9, however, his outlook is a bit uncertain with rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. making his first career start in Week 16 against the Giants. New York has been decent in limiting fantasy production to wide receivers but have been poor against the run. With Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier in tow, the Falcons would be wise to lean on the run game in this one rather than let the rookie QB air it out, so London figures to be more of a WR2 this week rather than his typical WR1 status.