Who Should I Start? Demarcus Robinson or Curtis Samuel

Sunday, August 24, 4:31 AM

Wide receiver Demarcus Robinson found the end zone to put the first points on the board for the 49ers in their 30-23 victory over the Chargers on Sunday. The 30-year-old veteran reeled in a 22-yard pass from quarterback Tanner Mordecai to open up the second quarter of the preseason finale. Robinson finishes the preseason with seven receptions for 94 yards and one touchdown. Robinson will start his tenth NFL season serving a three-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy in the offseason. When he returns to action, he will be in the mix as San Francisco's third wide receiver behind Jauan Jennings (calf) and Ricky Pearsall, at least until Brandon Aiyuk (knee) can take the field. Robinson may eventually prove himself to be a worthy flex streamer, but fantasy managers can avoid him in their upcoming drafts.

Friday, September 5, 1:53 PM

Wide receiver Curtis Samuel was a top-50 fantasy WR from 2022-23 with the Washington Commanders, but he fell off a cliff in his first year with the Buffalo Bills last season. After dealing with a nagging toe injury and managing just 31 catches, 253 receiving yards, and one touchdown in 14 games, Samuel will open 2025 against a high-end Baltimore Ravens defense on Sunday. Samuel is worth avoiding this week, especially after a hamstring issue shelved him for most of the summer. The 29-year-old is not on the injury report heading into Week 1, and considering his respectable track record, Samuel could get back on the fantasy radar if he starts this season looking more like he did in Washington. He came around a bit at the end of last season with two TD grabs in three playoff games, including a 55-yarder in a wild-card round win over the Denver Broncos.