Who Should I Start? Deebo Samuel or Michael Pittman Jr.

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, March 11, 12:33 PM

The Indianapolis Colts and standout wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. agreed to a three-year, $70 million contract extension on Monday, according to a source. The deal can reach up to $71.5 million maximum and includes $46 million guaranteed. The deal means that Pittman won't play the 2024 season under the franchise tag. It's a major win for both sides. The Colts had no intentions of letting one of the best receivers in the game reach the open market, which is why they used their franchise tag on the 26-year-old to buy them a little extra time to work on an extension. The former second-round pick in 2020 out of USC had a career-high 1,152 receiving yards and four touchdowns on a career-high 109 receptions in 16 games in 2023 and is a no-doubt WR1 in fantasy.