Who Should I Start? Deebo Samuel or Jahan Dotson

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 8, 6:30 PM

Washington Commanders wide receiver Jahan Dotson concluded his disappointing second season in the NFL with just two receptions on three targets for 17 yards in Sunday's 38-10 blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys in the final game of the regular season. It was an improvement following his third zero-catch game of the year in Week 17 in the loss to the San Francisco 49ers, but Dotson was ultimately a big disappointment in 2023 after many fantasy experts predicted a breakout season in his second year in the league. He totaled 49 receptions on 83 targets for 518 yards and four touchdowns in 17 games, a slight step back from when he had a 35-523-7 line in 12 games as a rookie. Dotson and the rest of Washington's offense suffered from quarterback Sam Howell's struggles, and it could be an uphill battle for fantasy relevance again in 2024 with a new coaching staff coming in to replace Ron Rivera.