After spending his first six NFL seasons in San Francisco, WR Deebo Samuel was traded to the Commanders this offseason in a package that only cost Washington a fifth-round pick, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
There are certainly worse places to be traded to, as the Commanders are coming off a season in which they made it to the NFC Championship game with a rookie quarterback. Jayden Daniels looked like the real deal in year one, and adding a weapon like Samuel to this offense should only make him even better. Terry McLaurin will likely remain as the primary option, with Samuel playing the WR2 role. Samuel has been the #1 option for most of his career in San Francisco, so next season will be a slight adjustment.
I think this kind of offense could be a benefit to his fantasy outlook. Washington can already beat you through the air with Daniels and McLaurin, while also on the ground with Daniels and Brian Robinson. Adding a weapon like Deebo into the fold opens up the entire playbook, as he can be used as a Swiss Army knife in so many ways. You can line him up in the backfield, out wide or wherever you please. It will give defensive coordinators nightmares. Between Daniels, Robinson, Samuel and McLaurin, this Commanders offense could be scary.
The question from a fantasy perspective for Samuel will be touches. Olamide Zaccheaus was the WR2 last season and only received 64 targets on the season. No disrespect to Zaccheaus, but Deebo Samuel is obviously a different caliber of player, so it will be interesting to see how the target share shifts this season. Samuel was only targeted 81 times in 15 games last season, his lowest mark since 2020.
Samuel is coming off a brutal season, finishing with 160.6 FPTS on DraftKings, the 44th-best mark among receivers. His 10.7 FPTS per game was tied for the 48th best among wideouts. Samuel’s time in that offense looked like it had come to a close with the emergence of Jauan Jennings, and I think heading to a good team with a defined role as the WR2 will do him a world of good.
