Who Should I Start? Deebo Samuel or Xavier Worthy

Friday, December 20, 11:40 PM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. will bring the least productive five-game stretch of his career into a Week 16 matchup in Miami on Sunday. He is averaging 3.3 half-PPR points over that stretch, including a 3.4-point performance last Thursday at home versus the Los Angeles Rams. Samuel Sr. reached a low point when he dropped an important 3rd-down pass in LA territory to a chorus of boos from the home fans. He'll have better days ahead -- he's certainly a better player than this -- but at this point, Samuel Sr. is untrustable in fantasy. In addition, Miami's tough pass defense has limited fantasy receivers to the second-lowest total in the league. Perhaps Samuel Sr. sees an increase in carries, with the 49ers down to their fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-string running backs due to a deluge of injuries. It might not matter much, though, as he's only averaging 2.7 yards per carry this year with one rushing touchdown, way back in Week 1. He's projected as a WR4 this week, and most Samuel Sr. managers still in the fantasy playoffs probably benched him long ago.

Saturday, December 21, 2:55 PM

According to Matt McMullen of the Chiefs, rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy (ankle) has returned to the field at the start of the second half. This is a great sign as former first-round selection had a brief injury scare earlier in this game as he sustained an ankle injury while running a route. This injury was non-contact. Before exiting for a brief period, Worthy brought in four of his five targets for 26 yards. Fantasy managers should expect Worthy to continue to operate as a starting wideout for the remainder of the game alongside Marquise Brown and DeAndre Hopkins.