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Is Deebo Samuel a must-start in Week 4 if Terry McLaurin sits?

Is Deebo Samuel a must-start in Week 4 if Terry McLaurin sits?

DraftKings Fantasy Advice Season Long NFL

Published:

By: Alex Hunter

Terry McLaurin ($5,500) is “uncertain” to play this Sunday vs. the Falcons due to a quad injury, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

McLaurin is handling a 19.5% target share this season, which ranks second only to Deebo Samuel ($6,000) at 24.1% for the Commanders. Removing McLaurin from the equation this Sunday vs. the Falcons would likely result in Samuel’s team-high target share growing even further and him possibly seeing double-digit targets.

Samuel has been effective with Washington this season, ranking 11th among receivers in FPTS per snap (0.32) and scoring 17+ FPTS in two of his first three games. In addition to the 24.1% target share, Samuel has run a route on 79% of his team’s dropbacks and he has seen four carries, including one red-zone attempt.

While Samuel is facing an Atlanta defense this Sunday that is allowing the second-fewest yards per pass this season (5.1), Samuel’s upside would be higher than usual if McLaurin was inactive, even if Jayden Daniels ($7,000, knee) was out again. Samuel only posted 4.9 FPTS last Sunday with Marcus Mariota ($5,000) starting in place of Daniels, but the game was a 17-point blowout win for the Commanders, where Mariota only had to throw 21 times. The veteran was very efficient as a passer, averaging 9.9 YPA in the start, so there is certainly plenty of hope that Mariota and Samuel will have better chemistry this week if Mariota is forced to start again.

All in all, if McLaurin sits, Samuel will be a great WR3/FLEX for season-long leagues and a compelling DFS play at only $6,000.

Alex Hunter
Alex Hunter is an avid DFS player and sports handicapper, who has been a proud member of the DraftKings Network team since 2020. He is a data-driven analyst, who earned his bachelor’s degree in communications at Worcester State University and has been in the sports content business for nearly a decade, covering the NBA, NFL and PGA TOUR. Alex is a diehard Boston Celtics fan, who loves to be on the golf course when he isn’t grinding lineups or producing content. For all of Alex’s work or if you need any lineup advice, be sure to follow him @Hunta512 on X.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Hunta512) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.