Who Should I Start? Deebo Samuel Sr. or Terry McLaurin

Friday, September 12, 10:10 AM

Washington Commanders wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. was heavily involved in the offense for the second straight week in his team's 27-18 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night. Samuel Sr. was targeted eight times, hauling in seven catches for 44 yards and a touchdown. It was not an efficient night for Washington overall, and Samuel Sr. was no different, averaging just 6.3 yards per reception. Still, it's an encouraging sign for fantasy managers that Samuel Sr. has been targeted 18 times and logged 15 total touches through Washington's first two games. Early on, the 29-year-old profiles as a high-end flex option going into a much easier Week 3 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Wednesday, September 10, 4:01 PM

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin was slow out of the gate in Week 1 against the Giants, catching two of his four targets for 27 yards. A slow start to the season could have been somewhat expected for McLaurin after limited practice time amidst his contract negotiations. The talk of a slow start could have been mitigated if he and Jayden Daniels were able to connect on a deep shot where McLaurin had his man beat badly on a double move. With the new acquisition, Deebo Samuel Sr. making his team debut, play caller Kliff Kingsbury made an emphasis to get Samuel involved, and he has established a good connection with Daniels after McLaurin missed a lot of time in training camp. A positive, at least for McLaurin, is that he did not face any restrictions regarding his snap count and routes. The star receiver started slow last season as he built rapport with Daniels, and should be expected to bounce back against an exploitable Green Bay secondary. McLaurin has faced the Packers three times in his career and has put up strong numbers, catching 16 of 27 targets for 252 yards and three touchdowns. He should be viewed as a mid-range WR2 with upside in a projected high-scoring Week 2 matchup against the Packers.