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The Washington Commanders made a big trade to acquire wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. this offseason. The Commanders and the Houston Texans were two teams that reportedly showed interest in the veteran wideout, but Washington had the best offer for Samuel. In return, the San Francisco 49ers received a fifth-round pick.
Acquiring Samuel was a solid move for a Commanders team looking to take an even bigger step next year. After making it to the NFC Championship in Jayden Daniels' rookie season, the sky's the limit for this up-and-coming team. Adding the former 49ers wideout to this offense should only help Daniels in Year 2.
But how does this move affect Samuel's fantasy value in 2025? Does his value change at all? Let's dive in and find out.
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Deebo Samuel's Career
There were several reasons why the 49ers were willing to part ways with Samuel this offseason. For starters, he is coming off arguably the worst season of his career. He caught just 51 passes for 670 yards and three touchdowns across 15 games. His 27.6 percent win rate versus man coverage also ranked 85th among all wide receivers this past year.
So, it was pretty evident the 49ers would be looking to move him this offseason. They just drafted Ricky Pearsall in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and Jauan Jennings showed some encouraging things as the team's WR2 in 2024. Given how little Samuel contributed this past season, San Francisco just didn't need him anymore.
Despite the 2024 struggles, though, Samuel's play over his career shouldn't go unnoticed. This is a player who can change the game in multiple ways. He has totaled over 1,000 yards from scrimmage in two of the past four seasons and rushed for 17 touchdowns across those four years. The veteran has also established himself as one of the best yards-after-the-catch wideouts in the NFL.
Since being drafted in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Samuel has ranked top 15 in yards after the catch in every season. His best finish in that category came back in 2021 when he finished second in yards after the catch (777). That helped him enjoy a breakout campaign behind a 77-catch, 1,405-yard, six-touchdown receiving season.
Deebo Samuel - Nobody's talking about his mid-season pneumonia.
But that's big. And it showed.
Pre (5 games): 77 ypg
Post (10 games): 44In '23 he put up 1100 total yds w/12 TDs
'22 up and down
'21 breakoutNot much evidence that the production ceiling has sunk#Commanders
— Deepak Chona, MD. SportsMedAnalytics (@SportMDAnalysis) March 2, 2025
Samuel is certainly hoping to get back to that level of dominance on the field following a couple of rough years. He has totaled under 700 receiving yards in two of the past three seasons. But when the former 49ers wideout is at the top of his game, he is one of the better playmakers in the NFL.
Deebo Samuel's 2024 Fantasy Football Recap
After finishing as WR15 in PPR formats in 2023, Samuel was a solid WR2 option heading into the 2024 season. His ability to contribute fantasy points in the rushing and receiving department made him a safe target early in fantasy drafts. As a result, the wideout's 33.3 preseason ADP was a solid spot for him.
However, Samuel was one of the more disappointing fantasy wide receivers this past year. He finished as the WR44 in PPR formats and scored under 10 PPR fantasy points in six of his last seven games. In addition, his 10.2 PPR fantasy points per game were the lowest of his six-year career.
After thinking about the Deebo Samuel move, this is the logical take:
The risk is that Deebo is washed.
But the reward is that he has a bounce back year in a perfect scheme fit.
When you consider the cost (5th round pick) and commitment (one year), it's a no-brainer move.
— Frank Ammirante (@FAmmiranteTFJ) March 2, 2025
It's safe to say that Samuel was not a strong fantasy option for most of the second half, and the wideout saw fewer opportunities as the season went on. Although he had an impressive 25.1 PPR fantasy point day in the fantasy football playoffs in Week 16, not many fantasy managers even started him that week, considering he averaged just 4.7 PPR fantasy points across the five games prior.
Deebo Samuel's 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook
Nothing about Samuel's 2024 campaign was encouraging, but he'll look for a fresh start in Washington. With the Commanders being aggressive in their pursuit of him and paying his entire $17.55 million salary this upcoming season, the team likely has some big plans for the versatile playmaker. So, he can be a reliable fantasy option in 2025.
Daniels should develop more as a passer in Year 2, and the Commanders quarterback ranked 23rd in air yards per attempt in his rookie season. That surely benefits Samuel's game, given that the former 49ers wideout catches most of his passes near the line of scrimmage. He ranked 46th at the position in yards per target this past year.
The Commanders ranked 1st in EPA/play amongst teams that used a lot of 21 personnel last year. Talked on NFL Live about the Deebo Samuel fit and what it brings to the offense. pic.twitter.com/mePDCi17bh
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) March 3, 2025
Now, what type of fantasy contributions we get from Samuel next season will depend on which wideout shows up in 2025. Are we getting the wide receiver who struggled with drops and didn't show much burst on the field or the wide receiver who no one can stop? In a change of scenery, there's a chance that we see more of the latter from him with Washington.
Samuel should thrive in this Commanders offense that relies on getting the ball out quickly. Even though he'll likely play second fiddle to Terry McLaurin in the passing game, there's no reason why he shouldn't be able to put up over 1,000 yards from scrimmage next season. The 29-year-old could also see some chances out of the backfield, similar to how San Francisco used him.
Therefore, Samuel will likely enter the fantasy season as a high-end WR3. He is in a top offense that should score plenty of points and has a solid quarterback throwing passes to him. If he can form a strong connection with Daniels and Washington uses him the right way, the former Pro Bowl wideout could even creep into that WR2 territory in fantasy.
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