Who Should I Start? Deebo Samuel Sr. or A.J. Brown

Thursday, February 12, 7:35 AM

Washington Commanders wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. continued to deliver decent contributions in the passing game last season, which was his first with the team. He finished the year with 72 catches, 727 receiving yards, and five receiving touchdowns, his highest marks in those categories since 2021. He also rushed for 75 yards and an additional touchdown on the ground. Although it was a good but not great year by Samuel's standards, he still finished as the overall WR25 in full-PPR leagues, cementing himself as a low-end WR2 or high-end WR3/flex on a weekly basis. Samuel restructured his contract with the Commanders to become a free agent this offseason, so he'll hit the open market in March. A return to Washington seems possible, but he'll presumably explore all of his options before putting pen to paper. Samuel fits best on a team with an established No. 1 wide receiver, so that he can operate as the No. 2 receiver with contributions as a gadget-type player behind the line of scrimmage or in the short-to-medium passing game. His 2026 fantasy outlook will depend on his landing spot and his eventual quarterback pairing, but for now, we'd expect him to remain a top-30 fantasy receiver.

Friday, February 27, 2:09 PM

The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeff McLane thinks that the Philadelphia Eagles will decide on whether they'll trade wide receiver A.J. Brown "in the next 10 days" before the start of the legal tampering period. Brown had his fourth straight 1,000-yard receiving season in 2025, but the Eagles' offense was downright ugly at times, and Brown openly complained about his role while not being on the same page with head coach Nick Sirianni and quarterback Jalen Hurts. The 28-year-old had seven touchdowns for the third straight year, but he was more volatile from a fantasy perspective and averaged a career-low 12.9 yards per catch. A trade out of Philly could help Brown become more consistent, and teams such as the New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, and Buffalo Bills could be potential landing spots. If Philly were to trade Brown before June 1, it would result in over $40 million in dead cap.