Who Should I Start? Deebo Samuel Sr. or J.K. Dobbins

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.

Monday, February 23, 9:07 AM

Denver Broncos impending free-agent running back J.K. Dobbins (foot) made it clear that he'd prefer to re-sign with the team this offseason, but The Athletic's Nick Kosmider expects the team "to explore multiple other options first." Before a season-ending Lisfranc foot injury, Dobbins was in the midst of a career year in 2025, rushing for 772 yards through the first 10 weeks, the fifth-highest output in the NFL. He has averaged 5.2 yards per carry since entering the NFL as a second-round pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2020, but staying on the field has been an issue. Last year was the fourth time since Dobbins entered the league in which he played in 10 games or fewer due to injury. Dobbins has been productive when healthy, but the Broncos need a "player with some longer-term upside to pair with RJ Harvey." Because of his lengthy injury history, Dobbins will be hard to trust in fantasy, and he's unlikely to find work as a true RB1 workhorse back in free agency.