Deebo Samuel Primed For Big Day In Week 17
12 months agoSan Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel (neck) came back down to earth in Week 16's loss to Baltimore, turning 12 targets into only four receptions for 47 yards and a handful of rushing yards. In Week 17 versus the league-worst Washington Commanders defense by yardage, Samuel is unlikely to disappoint again. Washington has been the second-most generous defense to fantasy WRs, giving up 35.3 half-PPR points to the position on average. Also working in Samuel's favor is the Commanders scheme tendencies. While it is true that Washington runs a healthy share of man coverage (12th-most), they should probably run more of it since they're getting torched with an explosive play on 18.2% of snaps in zone coverage, which is the most in the league. Meanwhile, Samuel ranks fifth in the league in yards per route run against zone. The matchup plus recent heavy target shares and touchdown sprees place Samuel in mid-WR1 territory with a good argument to be made for higher.
Source: Pro Football Focus
Source: Pro Football Focus