Best Fantasy Landing Spots for Deebo Samuel

Apr 20, 2022

If the 49ers grant the receiver's trade request, his fantasy value will be maximized with one of these five teams.

Well folks, here we go again.

In an offseason that’s already seen Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill traded, we could now see another blockbuster deal for another fantasy superstar wideout. According to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, Deebo Samuel has informed the San Francisco 49ers that he wants to be traded. Samuel is coming off a career season, posting more than 1,400 yards as a receiver and another 365 yards on the ground in a “wide back” role. He also scored a combined 14 touchdowns and finished as the third-best wideout in fantasy.

With a trade seemingly imminent, what would be the best fantasy landing spots for the talented and versatile wide receiver? Here are five teams that make the most sense.

Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs traded Hill, so why not replace him with Samuel? They have two first-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft (the first pick was originally owned by the 49ers), so the team has the draft capital to make a deal. Samuel’s stock wouldn’t decline one iota catching passes from Patrick Mahomes in what would remain a premier offense.

Green Bay Packers
The Packers have a major need at wide receiver (sorry Sammy Watkins), and Samuel would fill that void nicely. Catching passes from Aaron Rodgers would be a great way for Samuel to shine in the stat sheets, though he’d have a tougher time seeing carries out of the backfield with Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon in the mix. Like the Chiefs, Green Bay also has a pair of first-rounders. I do wonder if the Niners would deal Deebo to a real contender within the conference (I sort of doubt it), but this is fantasy football!

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Indianapolis Colts
Samuel would become the No. 1 wideout in Indianapolis, where he would be catching passes from a former league MVP in Matt Ryan. The Colts don’t have a ton of draft capital (no first-round picks in 2022) though, and I’m not sure Samuel would see a lot of carries with Jonathan Taylor in the mix. Still, the Colts have a need at wide receiver and playing the Jaguars and Texans twice a year would be nice for Samuel’s statistics.

Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens employ a run-based offense and don’t have a true No. 1 wide receiver, so Samuel would be a nice fit. Such a move would be bad news for Marquise Brown and Rashod Bateman, but imagine a Lamar Jackson-to-Samuel connection? That would be a lot of fun to watch and would keep Samuel in the fantasy football WR1 conversation. A major obstacle to this scenario is that the Ravens don’t have a ton of cap space (which might not matter), and they still have to put money aside to keep Jackson long term.

Philadelphia Eagles
No team in the league ran the football more than the Eagles last season. In fact, they ran the rock 57.6% of the time in their last seven games. That would benefit the wide back role Samuel thrived in last season. Philadelphia also has the draft capital to make a significant move and a glaring need at wide receiver alongside Devonta Smith. I’d hate this move as a Cowboys fan, but it could work out well in fantasy football.

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Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on Sports Illustrated and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Click here to read all his articles here on SI Fantasy. You can follow Michael on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram for your late breaking fantasy news and the best analysis in the business!

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