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Deebo Samuel Sr. of the San Francisco 49ers and DJ Moore of the Chicago Bears are two of the most dynamic receivers in the NFL and two of the most valuable to have in fantasy football. Case closed.
Both premier pass catchers are top-25 fantasy receivers heading into the 2024 football season, and both could end up in the top 15 if they stay healthy and the pieces around them fall perfectly into place.
So if it is your turn to draft in September, you need a receiver, and these two superstars are available, which one should you draft?
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Deebo Samuel vs. DJ Moore - Who Should I Draft in 2024 Fantasy Football?
Moore is the one you should draft in 2024. Yes, Samuel is the more talented and explosive of the two. He is also more multidimensional due to his ability to run out of the backfield. If Samuel is injury-free and plays in as many games as the durable Moore does, he would probably finish with better fantasy numbers.
The problem is Samuel is far from durable. He has missed 16 games over the past four seasons and has missed parts of many others due to his propensity to get nicked up. His brittle body has failed him on numerous occasions and makes him more of a risk than the dependable Moore, who has only missed two games over his stellar six-year career.
Moore has consistency on his side, too. The sure-handed veteran has four 1,000-yard years under his belt. He has also caught 90-plus passes in two of the past three seasons. Meanwhile, Samuel has one 1,000-yard season to his credit and has never caught 80 passes in a season. However, Samuel did account for over 1,000 combined yards in 2023 thanks to his rushing yards. That said, Moore has been more of a sure bet than Samuel since both have been in the NFL. You know what you will get from Moore on a weekly basis, while Samuel is more of a feast-or-famine fantasy player.
Samuel has Moore beat in the career touchdown department (38 to 30) despite having spent one less season in the NFL. That is a big deal since that category is super important in fantasy football, but Moore has averaged more receptions and yards per season across the same span.
Moore, who used to be the top target in Chicago by a humongous margin, now has to battle newly-acquired Keenan Allen and newly-drafted Rome Odunze for top pick Caleb Williams’ passes this year. I still think 80 receptions for 1,100 yards and six scores is well within reach for the talented 27-year-old, even though it would be a step down from his scintillating 2023 season.
DJ MOORE FOR SIX
📺: #TENvsCHI on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/bBFpXevVUR pic.twitter.com/FLD23yTXeZ— NFL (@NFL) August 12, 2023
Samuel racked up 1,405 receiving yards, 365 rushing yards, and 14 total touchdowns during his magical 2021 season. He also scored a dozen touchdowns and accounted for over 1,000 combined yards last season, despite missing two games. Yet, just like Moore, Samuel has to share the targets and touches with a ton of talented players, such as George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, and Christian McCaffrey.
If all things are equal and both players are 100 percent healthy, Samuel would put up the superior numbers in 2024. But judging by the past, Samuel will miss two-to-six games, and that makes Moore the man to draft in September if you have to choose between the two.
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