Who Should I Start? Deebo Samuel or Khalil Shakir

Sunday, December 22, 11:26 PM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. finally broke out of a five-game slump during a 29-17 defeat to the Dolphins in Miami on Sunday. Samuel Sr. caught seven of a co-team-high nine targets for 96 yards and a touchdown. He added five rushing attempts for 25 yards. Samuel Sr. looked angry and determined with his touches for the first time in weeks, scoring his 16-yard touchdown by running through three defenders. It's probably too little, too late for Samuel Sr.'s fantasy managers who suffered through five consecutive weeks of sub-five-point half-PPR performances, but anyone still rostering Samuel Sr. now has to at least consider him for a start in Week 17 coming off his most productive game of the season. San Francisco gets the offensive powerhouse Detroit Lions in Santa Clara on Monday night, which should force the 49ers into a pass-heavy game script, with a similar amount of carries to Sunday if rookie running back Isaac Guerendo (foot, hamstring) misses another game.

Sunday, December 22, 10:54 PM

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir caught two passes for 22 yards in the team's 24-21 win over the New England Patriots. Two receptions tied a season-low mark for the slot receiver. Shakir led Buffalo wide receivers with six targets (only trailed tight end Dalton Kincaid's seven) but couldn't do much with the opportunities. Josh Allen typically targets Shakir on the short and intermediate routes. The pair couldn't connect on a couple of deep shots on Sunday. The entire Buffalo passing game was out of sync as Allen totaled 154 passing yards. Shakir and the Bills host the New York Jets next weekend.