Who Should I Start? Deebo Samuel or Kareem Hunt

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.

Tuesday, January 30, 8:42 PM

Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt (hernia) recently had sports-hernia surgery to fix a ruptured adductor, according to sources. Hunt played in 15 games in his fifth year with the Browns in 2023, but he was listed on the injury report often with a groin injury and averaged a career-low 3.0 yards per carry on 135 attempts for 411 rushing yards and a career-high nine rushing TDs in the regular season. He added a career-low 15 receptions for 84 yards through the air. The 28-year-old's lower numbers now make more sense, but he still had plenty of fantasy appeal as a flex play because of his red-zone usage and nose for the end zone. Hunt could be more effective with better health in 2024, but he's also scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent. His fantasy appeal will depend on where he lands, and there's a good chance it won't be in Cleveland.