Who Should I Start? Deebo Samuel or Ja'Marr Chase

Thursday, December 12, 12:43 AM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel gets his next chance to break out of a brutal slump when the team hosts the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night. The former First-team All-Pro has averaged 3.3 half-PPR points per game over his last four contests. Samuel Sr. created drama early in the week, expressing dissatisfaction with a perceived decrease in the team getting him the ball. There is some truth to the complaint. Samuel Sr.'s career-high was 8.5 touches per game in 2021, and he averaged 6.5 touches per game last year compared to 6.0 touches this year. Of course, he didn't mention his season total of four broken tackles on social media, nor his 13.8 yards per reception (down almost a full yard from 2023), or his 2.9 yards per carry. The squeaky wheel may get the grease in this situation, but head coach Kyle Shanahan and quarterback Brock Purdy don't seem like the type to force-feed a complaining wideout based on their reactions this week. The Rams are a top-10 matchup to opposing wideouts, but it will be hard to trust Samuel Sr. in fantasy playoff lineups. He's a back-end WR3 at best in Week 15.

Tuesday, December 10, 1:32 AM

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase caught 14 of 18 targets for 177 yards and two touchdowns during Monday's win over the Dallas Cowboys. The star wide receiver has been the top-scoring non-quarterback in fantasy football this year, averaging a whopping 24.5 points per game (PPR). He continues to thrive in fantasy football despite playing alongside another receiver with significant upside and production, Tee Higgins. Chase, a former first-round pick, is undoubtedly having a historic season and shows no sign of slowing down ahead of a favorable matchup against the Tennessee Titans in Week 15.