Who Should I Start? Deebo Samuel or CeeDee Lamb

Wednesday, May 1, 2:04 PM

The San Francisco 49ers were engaged in trade talks involving wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel leading up to the draft, but the team elected not to trade either of their star receivers, with all signs pointing toward both being on the 2024 roster. Aiyuk is entering the final year of his rookie deal, and the assumption was that he'd be the odd man out after the team paid Samuel and other star players. Samuel still has two years left on the deal he signed before the 2022 season. San Fran has been to at least the NFC Championship game in four of the last five seasons, and losing Aiyuk or Samuel would almost certainly make the team worse in 2024. The 49ers can afford to keep both this year, but an Aiyuk extension would likely reduce his $14.124 million salary cap number for 2024. Samuel's fantasy value would have likely taken a hit with a move out of the Bay Area.

Monday, April 15, 2:09 PM

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb isn't expected to attend the start of the team's voluntary offseason program on Monday while he awaits a new contract to replace the one that is scheduled to pay him a fully guaranteed $17.199 million for his upcoming fifth-year option season. The 25-year-old All-Pro is seeking a new long-term deal after finishing as the WR1 in overall half-PPR points last year. Lamb caught 135 of his 181 targets for 1,749 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns in 17 regular-season games. He expects to be playing for the Cowboys this fall, but a holdout into training camp this summer could be realistic if the two sides haven't worked anything out by then. Contract issues aside, fantasy managers should consider Lamb a high-end, elite WR1 in drafts this fall.