Although there were flashes of electricity, Curtis Samuel did not ultimately live up to his lofty expectations in Carolina. A mix of injuries and spotty quarterback play resulted in uneven fantasy results and disappointed fantasy owners. But Samuel was able to put it together in a contract year when he totaled 1,051 total yards and five touchdowns on 118 total touches. With Christian McCaffrey out of the lineup, Samuel threw it back to his days as a Buckeye and both a receiver and running back. His versatility and play-making abilities made him a hot commodity in free agency before signing with one of the league’s up-and-coming teams, the Washington Football Team.
Samuel is now reunited with his former college teammate, Terry McLaurin, and will catch passes from a true gunslinger in Ryan Fitzpatrick.
We really talked about this in the dorms freshman year🔥
— Terry McLaurin (@TheTerry_25) March 18, 2021
In Washington, Samuel will be the clear No. 2 wideout behind McLaurin and should see the second-most targets on a team that will throw the ball a bunch with Fitzpatrick under center.
“But man, Curtis Samuel is the perfect complement to a guy like McLaurin,” said NFL analyst and former NFL water boy, Chris Simms. “McLaurin, a little more of a straight-line guy, gonna scare the hell out of you. You have Samuel, another big-play guy, but also the kind of guy who can catch a screen and the speed sweeps and do all that.”
Samuel may be utilized best in the quick game, but his vertical speed (4.31 40-yard dash) will be put to use much more with Fitzpatrick than it ever was in Carolina. According to PFF, Samuel led all receivers with a 77 percent catch rate on deep targets beyond 20-yards downfield. It also helps that Fitzpatrick averaged 9.2 yards per depth of target over the last two seasons, which ranked 10th in the league.
Not only will Samuel make Fitzpatrick’s life easier, but his Swiss Army Knife skill-set will also create a dangerous duo out of the backfield with Antonio Gibson. With CMC out of the lineup last year, Samuel had a 29 percent forced missed tackle rate on 41 carries, which would have ranked first among all NFL running backs. His 118 total touches ranked second among all wideouts behind only Stefon Diggs.
“You talk about what they got at running back with Antonio Gibson, McLaurin, Curtis Samuel,” Simms added. “All of a sudden you go, ‘Whoa, watch out, that could be a really explosive offense.’ And you know Ryan Fitzpatrick is certainly not shy in trying to chuck the ball down the field.”
Set in stone as Fitzpatrick’s No. 2 target, Samuel could be a bargain at his future ADP and should provide random week-winning upside.
Prior to Samuel landing in the nation’s capital, he landed at WR41 (+2 vs ECR) on The Wolf’s 2021 Fantasy Football Rankings.
