Who Should I Start? Deebo Samuel Sr. or DeVonta Smith

Friday, September 19, 10:29 PM

Washington Commanders wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. projects favorably again in Week 3 against the Raiders. Samuel's usage has been very encouraging for fantasy managers, with plenty of underneath targets and screens in addition to him showing the ability to win downfield. Winning on some intermediate crossing routes like he has so far through two weeks is a positive signal that he is in a good place health-wise and is moving well. His elite YAC ability, combined with those downfield targets mixed in, is what made him a fantasy beast with Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco, and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury seemingly has a good grasp of how to optimize his skillset. Samuel will look to be a friendly target for veteran Marcus Mariota as he starts for an injured Jayden Daniels. Mariota played well in limited action last season and should be able to operate the offense well enough to keep the Washington offense productive for fantasy purposes. Samuel should be started with confidence as a WR2 in Week 3.

Monday, September 22, 9:31 AM

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith recorded a season high eight receptions on nine targets for 60 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 33-26 win over the Los Angeles Rams. Based on game flow, the Eagles were forced into a pass-happy game script as they trailed the Rams the entire second half. Smith and his counterpart, A.J. Brown, were the biggest beneficiaries, as we saw Hurts throw the ball 32 times, by far the most this season. Although it was an excellent afternoon for the Eagles' pass catchers and Smith specifically, it's hard to trust him as a consistent WR2 due to the nature of this Eagles offense. They are a run-first team, which means the opportunities for Smith will not likely be there every week. Smith had as many targets on Sunday as he did in the first two weeks combined. Up next for the Eagles is a road battle against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which, on paper, should set up to be an entertaining game, and one that requires the Eagles to throw like they did last Sunday, making Smith a low-end WR2 in Week 4.