Commanders' Curtis Samuel: Finishes season with whimper
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Samuel lost six yards on two touches in Sunday's 26-6 win over Dallas.
Samuel's second year in Washington went much better than the first, as he played more than half the offensive snaps in all 17 games after taking only 84 snaps total the year before while plagued by lower-body injuries. His healthy 2022 started with averages of 9.0 targets and 66.4 total yards over the first five weeks, before he shifted to a more ground-based role after Carson Wentz was benched and averaged 4.3 targets and 3.5 carries over an eight-game stretch Weeks 7-15. Samuel was less involved at the very end, however, managing three touches for a net of zero yards over the last two weeks, and he could be released or traded this offseason now that Washington's WR room appears in good hands with Terry McLaurin and 2022 first-round pick Jahan Dotson. The team may look to move on from the 26-year-old Samuel, whose non-guaranteed $10.2 million base salary in 2023 would make him one of the most expensive No. 3 receivers in the league.
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Commanders' Curtis Samuel: Gets one touch
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Samuel caught one of two targets for six yards in Sunday's 24-10 loss to Cleveland.
Samuel's best stretch of the season came with Carson Wentz playing quarterback in September, but things went different in Wentz's return to the starting role. The Commanders might even turn back to Taylor Heinicke for Week 18 against Dallas, though it'll be hard to trust Samuel in any scenario after he averaged only 4.3 targets per game in Heinicke's nine starts. Samuel did at least get 3.2 carries for 15.6 yards in those games, whereas Sunday's loss marked his first outing without a rush since the last time Wentz started (Week 6).
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Commanders' Curtis Samuel: Catches TD in loss
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Samuel caught all five of his targets for 52 yards and a touchdown while rushing once for two yards in Saturday's 37-20 loss to San Francisco.
Samuel was stymied on the ground for the second week in a row, but he offset that with his first receiving touchdown since Week 9. The Commanders' slot man has been a sneaky fantasy asset in 2022 with his unique mix of receiving and rushing numbers -- 843 combined yards and five touchdowns -- a skillset that vaguely resembles a player on the 49ers' roster who shares the same last name. Samuel will look to continue his hot play against the Browns on New Year's Day.
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Commanders' Curtis Samuel: Gains 45 yards on eight touches
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Samuel caught three of five targets for 44 yards and rushed five times for one yard in Sunday's 20-12 loss to the Giants.
Samuel's five rushing attempts tied his previous season high, but the one rushing yard was his worst total with an attempt through 14 games. The Giants were able to snuff out the versatile wideout's designed runs, perhaps studying the Commanders' tendencies from their recent matchup two weeks ago. Samuel was effective as a receiver, and he has 107 yards over his last two games after totaling just 28 receiving yards over his previous three. Washington draws a tough matchup against San Francisco on Saturday, so Samuel's fringe fantasy value takes a hit in Week 16.
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Commanders' Curtis Samuel: Posts 86 total yards in tie
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Samuel brought in six of seven targets for 63 yards and rushed three times for 23 yards in the Commanders' 20-20 tie with the Giants on Sunday.
Samuel checked in second in receptions and receiving yards on the afternoon while logging the third-most targets. The versatile wideout's afternoon was his busiest in terms of total touches since Week 7, while his receiving yardage total was his third-highest of the campaign. Samuel gets another crack at the Giants defense in Week 15 following Washington's Week 14 bye.
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Commanders' Curtis Samuel: WRs to Sit
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Samuel went from someone you can use as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in most leagues on a weekly basis to someone you should probably cut. He's been at nine PPR points or less for three games in a row, and he didn't have a target in Week 12 against Atlanta. He also has just six targets for three catches, 38 yards and no touchdowns in his past three games combined. The Commanders will probably run a lot against the Giants and limit the targets for Samuel again, and the Giants have also allowed the fourth-fewest Fantasy points to receivers this season.
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Commanders' Curtis Samuel: No targets, only carries in win
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Samuel wasn't targeted in Sunday's 19-13 win over Atlanta, finishing with four carries for 13 yards on a season-low 60 percent of snaps.
Samuel had season lows for targets and snap share the week before and went even lower against Atlanta, though he did take multiple carries for a fifth time in the past six games. He's seen four or fewer targets in five straight now, with his new role perhaps more conducive to team success but doing no favors for his fantasy value. While useful in real life as a dual threat, Samuel can't be relied on for much in fantasy at this point as the Commanders prepare for a Week 13 game against the Giants and then a late bye in Week 14.
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Commanders' Curtis Samuel: Sit Him (Lineup Decisions)
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Samuel will be an intriguing option for his Fantasy managers considering the elite matchup against the Falcons, but beware the red flags. He had just three touches last week but was saved by a rushing TD, and the Commanders gave Jahan Dotson more snaps than Samuel last week with the first-round pick getting healthier following a long-term injury. Dave is sitting Samuel in PPR for Treylon Burks, Parris Campbell and Donovan Peoples-Jones.
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Commanders' Curtis Samuel: Saved by rushing touchdown Sunday
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Samuel caught one of two targets for 10 yards and rushed twice for 18 yards and one touchdown in Sunday's 23-10 win over the Texans.
Samuel's fantasy day was salvaged by a 10-yard rushing score that came early in the second quarter of Sunday's victory in Houston. Otherwise, the versatile 26-year-old has been limited to a combined 14 targets across Washington's last four contests, though he's somewhat made up for the lack of passing-game looks with nine carries in that same stretch. Samuel also played a season-low 40 offensive snaps Sunday, but the Week 12 matchup versus the Falcons contains upside for all Commanders' offensive players.
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Commanders' Curtis Samuel: Good to go
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Samuel (shin) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game in Houston, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.
Samuel will play for an 11th time in as many games this season, after making only five appearances his first year in Washington. He's accounted for only 20 of the 113 targets (17.7 percent) from Taylor Heinicke while Terry McLaurin has seen 36 (31.9 percent), but the Commanders have gotten Samuel more involved in the run game to make up for it, with the 26-year-old averaging 3.5 carries for 20.8 yards through four Heinicke starts. The Commanders haven't committed to Heinicke beyond Week 11, and it's possible an eventual shift back to Carson Wentz (finger, IR) could lead to more targets for Samuel down the stretch.
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Commanders' Curtis Samuel: Stays limited Thursday
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Samuel (shin) practiced on a limited basis Thursday.
The Commanders may be exercising the utmost caution with Samuel after he was limited to five appearances with the team in 2021, capping his reps so far this week. He'll have one more chance to get back to all activity Friday before he potentially is handed a designation for Sunday's game in Houston. In 10 games this season, Samuel has combined for 617 yards from scrimmage and three receiving TDs on 69 touches.
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Commanders' Curtis Samuel: Tending to shin injury
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Samuel was listed as a limited participant at Wednesday's walk-through practice due to a shin injury.
After an injury-plagued first season with Washington in 2021, Samuel mostly has avoided practice reports this year, only dealing with an illness ahead of Week 5 action. Overall, he's turned 69 touches into 617 yards from scrimmage and three receiving scores in 10 appearances. With a new health concern in tow, Samuel's status will be one to monitor in the coming days as the Commanders prepare for Sunday's contest at Houston.
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Commanders' Curtis Samuel: Four targets, four rushes in win
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Samuel caught two of four targets for 28 yards and rushed four times for 12 yards in Monday's 32-21 win over Philadelphia.
Samuel's biggest contribution hardly registered in the box score, as it was only a one-yard run, but converted a fourth-and-1 deep in Eagles territory late in the first half. Washington went on to score a touchdown on that drive to take a 17-14 lead that the team never relinquished. This was the third consecutive week in which Samuel tied his season low with four targets after he had been thrown to at least eight times in five of the first seven games. While his rushing opportunities offer a nice bonus, Samuel does most of his damage through the air, and he'll look to carve out a larger role in that regard against the Texans in Week 11.
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Commanders' Curtis Samuel: WRs to Sit
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Samuel scored a touchdown in Week 9 against Minnesota, but it was his first score since Week 2. He finished the game with three catches for 65 yards on four targets, and he's been at five targets or less for three of his past four games. His rushing production has also been inconsistent of late, and he only had one carry for 16 yards against the Vikings. While he did have seven catches for 48 yards on 10 targets against the Eagles in Week 3, along with three carries for 13 yards, I don't love this matchup for him or Terry McLaurin. I'll start McLaurin as a low-end No. 2 receiver in the majority of leagues, but Samuel is a desperation No. 3 option in PPR. The Eagles have allowed just one touchdown to a receiver since Week 5.
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Commanders' Curtis Samuel: Team-high receiving yards in loss
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Samuel brought in three of four targets for 65 yards and a touchdown and rushed once for 16 yards in the Commanders' 20-17 loss to the Vikings on Sunday.
Samuel was effective in his usual versatile role, leading the Commanders in receiving yards largely on the strength of a 49-yard touchdown grab early in the third quarter. Samuel's receiving yardage total was his highest since Week 2 and second best of the season overall, and he's now recorded at least 50 receiving yards in three straight contests. The talented veteran will likely play an integral role once again during a tough Week 10 Monday night road matchup Nov. 14 against the Eagles.
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Commanders' Curtis Samuel: Seven total touches
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Samuel recorded three receptions on four targets for 50 yards in Sunday's 17-16 win over the Colts. He added four rushes for 29 yards.
Samuel saw a downturn in involvement as a pass catcher, primarily due to Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic combining to account for 12 targets. Nevertheless, Samuel was very efficient as a receiver, tallying receptions of 20, 18 and 12 yards. He also remained involved as a rusher and has at least three carries in four of eight games on the campaign. Despite the positives, Samuel could see his role further decrease once Jahan Dotson (hamstring) is able to return.
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Commanders' Curtis Samuel: Five catches, five carries in win
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Samuel caught five of eight targets for 53 yards and rushed five times for 26 yards in Sunday's 23-21 win over the Packers.
Samuel was involved as both a rusher and a pass catcher, notching double-digit touches for the third time in seven games. His eight targets tied Terry McLaurin for the most looks from quarterback Taylor Heinicke. Samuel should continue to play a prominent role in Week 8 against the Colts.
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Commanders' Curtis Samuel: WRs to Sit
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Samuel gets a new quarterback this week with Taylor Heinicke replacing the injured Carson Wentz (finger), and we'll see how Samuel does with Heinicke under center. Samuel had a rough game in Week 6 at Chicago with two catches for 6 yards on five targets, including what should have been a 40-yard touchdown. He has now scored seven PPR points or less in two of his past three games, and we'll see if he can improve with Heinicke. The Commanders could be getting healthy with Jahan Dotson (hamstring) and Logan Thomas (calf) returning to practice Wednesday, but this is a tough matchup against the Packers. Green Bay has allowed one touchdown to a receiver since Week 3, and I would only use Samuel as a No. 3 receiver in PPR. Terry McLaurin is a high-end No. 3 receiver in all leagues, and keep Dotson and Thomas reserved in all formats.
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Commanders' Curtis Samuel: Drops two passes, held to six yards
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Samuel caught two of five targets for six yards in a 12-7 win over the Bears on Thursday.
Samuel led the Commanders in targets for a sixth consecutive game to start the season, but this was his third in a row without a carry and fourth in a row without a touchdown and fewer than 65 total yards. Thursday's performance was his worst of the season from both a fantasy and real-life standpoint, with Samuel dropping what would've been a 40-yard touchdown late in the second quarter and then dropping a short pass shortly thereafter. He'll face a tough Green Bay secondary in Week 7, though it should at least be a better matchup for volume after the Thursday night game saw Carson Wentz throw for just 99 yards on 22 attempts.
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Commanders' Curtis Samuel: Start Him in PPR (Lineup Decisions)
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Samuel remains a high-catch receiver who Wentz leans on more than anyone else. His role could diminish if the Commanders run game ever gets going, but for now, that's something that has to be proven, not assumed. Besides, Washington is still passing at a 66.7% clip. Samuel should continue his 12-point PPR floor with potential for close to 20. I'll chance it with him in full PPR over Jakobi Meyers, Adam Thielen and Allen Lazard.
