Deebo Samuel to the Commanders fantasy football fallout: Jayden Daniels stock is sky high

Posted by author March 2, 2025 Football

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The Washington Commanders picked up Deebo Samuel Sr. in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers, according to multiple reports, parting with just a fifth-round pick to add a former All-Pro wide receiver who should still be in his prime at just 29 years old.

Trade grades will show the move as a big win for the Commanders, who are looking to take a step forward after their surprise conference championship appearance last season, but they aren’t the only beneficiaries of the move. Several players will see their fantasy football stock rise with Samuel joining the Commanders, and a few could take a big hit.

Stock up: Jayden Daniels

It was hard for Daniels’ stock to get much higher than it already was, but the Commanders adding a yards-after-catch machine like Samuel to Kliff Kingsbury’s offense will go a long way towards staving off any kind of sophomore slump.

Stock down: Brock Purdy

There are reasonable questions about how much Samuel has left as a top-end receiving talent, but regardless of the answer, he’s one less weapon Purdy will have as he sets to answer questions about just how good he is — in what could be the quarterback’s first year after receiving a big contract extension.

Stock up: Deebo Samuel

What better way for the 29-year-old to bounce back from a down season than to team up with one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL, who’s own ability to run and extend plays can open up the field even more for the types of things Samuel does best.

Stock down: Christian McCaffrey

This one isn’t as obvious as the others, but as the focal point of every defense San Francisco faces, McCaffrey will draw even more attention without Samuel in the lineup. The last thing McCaffrey needs coming off an injury-riddled 2024 is less space to work with.

Stock up: Terry McLaurin

Even with the former All-Pro Samuel coming to Washington, McLaurin remains the clear-cut No. 1 wide receiver on the team, only now he has a legitimate No. 2 to take some of the attention off of him. He could be in line for another career year in 2025.

Stock down: Luke McCaffrey

As a third-round pick last April, McCaffrey was expected to crack Washington’s lineup sooner than later, but it didn’t really happen in 2024 and Samuel’s addition will make it hard to do in 2025, unless the team opts to not bring back more productive players like Dyami Brown, Noah Brown and Olamide Zaccheaus. Either way, his production will end up being WR3 at best.

Stock up: Ricky Pearsall

No one on the San Francisco side benefits from Samuel’s exit more than Pearsall, who was fifth on the team in targets in 2024. Samuel is one less person in front of him on the depth chart, and though Jauan Jennings was a nice surprise last season, he’ll have a hard time replicating that success with the first-rounder Pearsall coming for his spot next to Brandon Aiyuk… unless the Niners trade Aiyuk next.