Who Should I Start? Deebo Samuel or Jamison Crowder

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.

Wednesday, March 13, 6:43 PM

Wide receiver Jamison Crowder re-signed with the Washington Commanders on Wednesday on an undisclosed one-year deal, according to a source. In his return to D.C. in 2023, Crowder caught just 16 passes on 20 targets for 159 yards and one touchdown in 17 games played. The 30-year-old veteran slot man mostly served as the team's punt returner last year and will once again play a depth role at the receiver position in 2024 behind Jahan Dotson. Washington originally made Crowder a fourth-round pick in 2015 out of Duke. His best season came in Year 2 in 2016, when he caught 67 passes for a career-high 847 yards and seven touchdowns in 16 games. Unless injuries strike to several Commanders pass-catchers in 2024, it's unlikely that Crowder will be on the fantasy radar at this stage of his career.