Who Should I Start? Deebo Samuel or Terry McLaurin

Tuesday, October 22, 6:24 PM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. (illness) was released from the hospital on Tuesday. Samuel hardly played in the 49ers' Week 7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs after coming down with a "pneumonia-like" illness. He was revealed to have been admitted to a hospital on Monday with fluid in his lungs. It is a great sign that Samuel has been released from the hospital. Hopefully, he will make a swift recovery for the sake of himself and his family. The 49ers have put no timetable on Samuel's return to the field. They are hurting at wide receiver with the loss of Brandon Aiyuk (knee). Samuel has effectively missed two games in 2024. He has been solid in his five healthy games posting 335 receiving yards and a touchdown. He has added 51 rushing yards and a touchdown as well. Fantasy managers will need to monitor Samuel's progress as the week continues. Given that he is battling an illness, there is no telling how short or long his recovery could be.

Sunday, October 20, 7:29 PM

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin led all Washington pass-catchers with 98 yards in their victory over the Carolina Panthers. He brought in all six of his targets, which tied for a team-high. Even though he was without his QB1 through most of the game, the 29-year-old has continued his impressive stretch as he has tallied at least 15.0 PPR points in every game since Week 3. During this span, McLaurin found the end zone four times and has been the clear lead option in the Washington air attack. Fantasy managers should continue monitoring Jayden Daniels' status (ribs) throughout the week, but McLaurin remains a safe, high-end WR2 facing the Chicago Bears next weekend.