Who Should I Start? Deebo Samuel Sr. or Joshua Palmer

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.

Sunday, February 22, 4:17 AM

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Joshua Palmer (ankle) didn't quite live up to expectations during his first season with the team. After four years with the Los Angeles Chargers, Palmer inked a three-year deal with the Bills. He played 12 games last season, catching a modest 22 passes for 303 yards. This was also the first season in which he failed to score a touchdown. Palmer finished the year as the overall WR106 in PPR leagues, setting a new career-worst mark. He also ended up on injured reserve with an ankle injury before the Bills' first playoff game. As much as Buffalo did a good job spreading the ball around this year, Palmer was not a main beneficiary. That's unlikely to change much going forward, given that the Bills don't have many wide receiver free agents. Brandin Cooks and Gabe Davis (knee) will hit the open market, but key pass-catchers like Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, and Tyrell Shavers are returning. Plus, we wouldn't be surprised to see the Bills add more wide receiver starpower via the draft or free agency under new head coach Joe Brady. Palmer can be dropped in many dynasty leagues, and he's not a reasonable draft target in redraft formats.