Who Should I Start? Deebo Samuel Sr. or Brian Thomas Jr.

Friday, October 31, 10:44 PM

Washington Commanders wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. has turned in two of his quietest performances of the season over his last two games. Samuel missed Week 7 against the Cowboys due to a heel injury, but he's totaled just seven catches for 26 yards on 11 targets in Weeks 6 and 8 as he still seems to be impacted by the injury. The 29-year-old will hope to return to his early-season form on Sunday Night Football against the Seahawks, as Washington will again be without top wideout Terry McLaurin after he re-aggravated his quadriceps injury during their Week 8 loss at the Chiefs. Samuel has averaged 16.4 PPR points per game without McLaurin in the lineup, compared to 12.3 with him, but he'll face a tough Seattle defense getting top cornerback Devon Witherspoon back in action. The former San Francisco 49er wideout will face a familiar division rival he knows well, averaging 110.4 total yards per game with seven total touchdowns in eight career games against the Seahawks, including a three-catch, 102-yard, one touchdown performance in a Week 6 primetime matchup against them last season.

Sunday, November 2, 7:36 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (ankle) exited during the fourth quarter of Sunday's Week 9 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. He was listed as questionable but ultimately did not return to the contest. He finished the game with five targets, three catches, and 55 receiving yards. The 23-year-old has been quite disappointing in his second pro season, catching just 30 passes for 420 yards and one touchdown through eight games. Even with Travis Hunter (knee) on injured reserve, Thomas failed to operate as the alpha receiver, instead ceding that role to Parker Washington (eight catches for 90 yards). The LSU product is merely a WR3/flex with upside ahead of Week 10 against the Houston Texans. In his last battle against Houston, he caught two of six targets for 55 yards. Of course, fantasy managers should monitor Thomas' status on the Jaguars' injury reports within the upcoming week.