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

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.

Wednesday, February 25, 1:40 PM

ESPN's Dan Graziano writes that there hasn't been an indication that the Jacksonville Jaguars are planning to trade wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. this offseason, but there "are teams monitoring the situation" in case the former first-rounder has fallen far enough down their depth chart that the "front office would consider a move." The 23-year-old LSU product was a draft choice of the previous administration two years ago and still has two more years for a total of $4.9 million on his contract, plus a fifth-year team option for 2028. Thomas was excellent in 2024, posting an 87-1,282-10 line in 17 regular-season games, but he regressed in 2025 and finished with 48 catches for 707 yards and only two TDs in 14 regular-season games. The Jags traded for Jakobi Meyers and then signed him to a long-term deal, and Parker Washington also broke out. Thomas finished in more of a WR3 field-stretching role last year, and the best chances of him returning to his rookie form might be with a change of scenery.