Who Should I Start? Deebo Samuel Sr. or Tetairoa McMillan

Thursday, October 16, 3:07 PM

Washington Commanders wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. (heel) was not at the portion of practice open to the media on Thursday, according to The Athletic's Ben Standig. Samuel was a non-participant in Wednesday's practice as well, so this puts his availability firmly up in the air for the Week 7 game this Sunday against the division-rival Dallas Cowboys. The 29-year-old was questionable leading up to the Monday night loss to the Chicago Bears, too, although he suited up. Samuel played 70% of the offensive snaps, but he didn't look right, and caught only four passes for 15 yards in the one-point loss. With Terry McLaurin (quadriceps) potentially missing a fourth straight game, Washington could be looking at Luke McCaffrey and rookie Jaylin Lane leading their WR corps against Dallas if Samuel cannot play. Samuel may need to get in some practice on Friday to avoid being ruled out entirely this weekend.

Sunday, October 12, 11:12 PM

Ironically, Carolina Panthers rookie first-round wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan had a season-low 29 receiving yards on just three receptions in the 30-27 win over the visiting Dallas Cowboys in Week 6 on Sunday, but he made up for it by finding paydirt for the first two times in his NFL career. McMillan was targeted five times by quarterback Bryce Young, which tied for the team lead with running back Rico Dowdle. The 22-year-old from Arizona scored from 19 and two yards out, respectively, to salvage his fantasy day. Fantasy managers shouldn't be too concerned with his low-yardage output against Dallas, as it's been clear that McMillan will lead the Panthers in yards, catches, and targets when all is said and done in 2025, as long as he stays healthy. He has a tough matchup upcoming against cornerback Sauce Gardner and the New York Jets in Week 7, but McMillan needs to remain in all starting fantasy lineups.