Who Should I Start? Deebo Samuel Sr. or Cedric Tillman

Tuesday, June 17, 3:00 PM

Washington Commanders wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. is slated to play in his first game without a San Francisco 49ers uniform in September after he was acquired by Washington this offseason for a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The second-round pick out of South Carolina in 2019 has failed to match his monster 2021 season, when he racked up over 1,700 total yards and 14 touchdowns. In the three seasons following, he has averaged 13.6 games played, 731.3 receiving yards, 197.6 rushing yards, and seven touchdowns. He hasn't been the explosive playmaker we saw early in his career, which has led to many believing he could be well past his prime, thanks to injuries and a lack of staying in shape. However, head coach Dan Quinn is not concerned with his speed or explosiveness. "Somewhere along the way, I'd forgotten until [he was] out here how fast he is," Quinn said. "I can remember one time he just ran by somebody down the field on a deep ball, and I was like, 'Yeah, I forgot about that.' So, it didn't surprise me." He also called Samuel one of the fastest players on the roster. Entering 2025, Samuel has a wide range of outcomes behind No. 1 wide receiver, Terry McLaurin, who is currently seeking a new contract. Samuel is likely to have boom weeks, but he may no longer going to be a consistent and reliable weekly fantasy football producer. That said, a significant bounceback year is also a possibility.

Thursday, May 29, 6:20 PM

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Cedric Tillman (concussion) was taking part in voluntary organized team activities and was running with the first-team offense on Wednesday, according to The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Dan Labbe. It's a good sign for Tillman after he finished last season on Injured Reserve and missed the final six games due to a lingering concussion. The 25-year-old former third-rounder (74th overall) in 2023 out of Tennessee showed improvement in Year 2 before his head injury, catching 29 of 49 targets for 339 yards and his first three NFL touchdowns in 11 games (six starts). While Diontae Johnson could have something to say about it, Tillman is currently position well for WR2 duties in 2025 behind Jerry Jeudy, although Cleveland's uncertain quarterback situation doesn't exactly bode well for Tillman's chances to make an impact in fantasy.