Deebo Samuel Landing Spots: 3 Teams That Could Elevate Wideout's Fantasy Stock
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After just one season, the Washington Commanders elected to part ways with veteran wideout Deebo Samuel, allowing the former All-Pro to explore free agency. Through two weeks, Samuel has received interest from teams around the league, but remains available to this point of the offseason. Entering his eighth season, Samuel has shown he can sustain a role as a high-volume contributor to an NFL offense, offering solid fantasy football value at this point of his career.
In an inconsistent role for a banged-up offense, Samuel performed well for the Commanders in 2025. He carved out little volume on the ground, a change of pace from previous years of his career, but improved on a quiet 2024 campaign. He hauled in 72 of his 99 targets, racking up 727 receiving yards and five touchdowns. He added a sixth touchdown on the ground, but was limited to 17 carries for 75 rushing yards, his fewest since a shortened 2020 campaign.
He opened the season with encouraging production among PPR leagues in fantasy, eclipsing 20.0 points in three of his first five games. Samuel closed the year ranked as WR25 in PPR, averaging a respectable 11.8 points per week. As he gears up to join his third team, let’s look at three potential suitors for Samuel in free agency:
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots have slightly reworked their receiving corps around Drake Maye following the team’s Super Bowl loss. New England added former Green Bay Packers wideout Romeo Doubs in free agency after releasing Stefon Diggs despite a 1,000-yard campaign in 2025. Suddenly, there's a need for additional help in the Patriots’ receiving corps. Samuel could fill such a void.
Samuel could pair nicely alongside Doubs, offering Maye a reliable intermediate target who thrives in run-after-catch situations. His unique skill set also adds versatility to a Patriots offense that sputtered at times during an otherwise historic 14-3 campaign. From a fantasy football standpoint, his volume could take a slight hit considering the team’s depth at receiver, but with greater efficiency and similar catch-percentage, he could sustain high-end WR2 fantasy production.
San Francisco 49ers
After allowing Jauan Jennings to explore free agency, rumors began to swirl regarding a potential reunion between Samuel and the San Francisco 49ers. The team brought in future Hall of Famer Mike Evans in free agency to pair alongside Ricky Pearsall, but could still benefit from the addition of Samuel. He presents one of the better RAC targets in the NFL to free up Evans and Pearsall over the middle and down the field, and could shore up a star-studded 49ers offense.
Samuel’s volume could take a noticeable hit joining a crowded offensive situation in San Francisco, but has shown the ability to be productive with sub-90 targets in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. Though his volume could take a hit in the passing game, he could re-discover his role in the run game, accounting for the potential loss of production as a receiver. His versatile skill set and scheme familiarity forms a seamless pairing in San Francisco.
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are working to surround last year’s No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward with as much talent as possible entering his second NFL season. The rookie showed tremendous flashes in his rookie season, posting a strong performance over the second half of the regular season. The Titans have a void at wide receiver and are looking for an immediate contributor to pair with Calvin Ridley and Elic Ayomanor. Samuel not only pairs well with Tennessee’s existing receiving corps, he adds another dynamic to the offense with his rushing ability.
From a fantasy perspective, Samuel could find the largest target share in Tennessee, compared to that of San Francisco or New England. He presents a quality YAC target for Brian Daboll to utilize throughout the offense, and has the potential to take over as the unit’s premier contributor in a consistent role.
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Ethen Hutton is a MLB, WNBA, College, and Fantasy contributor at On SI. Previously, he's covered the NBA, WNBA and NFL for Sportskeeda. Hutton is also a passionate fantasy football player and an immense music lover.