Projecting Bills’ New Receiver as Ultimate Pick for Fantasy Football Sleepers

Making the right sleeper choice can go a long way toward a fantasy football championship, and the Buffalo Bills have a prime candidate to potentially fill that need this season.

Free agent signee Curtis Samuel may not be a top 50 receiver on anyone’s fantasy draft board, but Sports Illustrated Analyst Michael Fabiano placed the versatile weapon in his starting lineup fully asleep.

In an effort to “predict which players could outperform their average draft position,” Fabiano built a team composed only of his “favorite sleeper candidates (no rookies).” He designated Samuel as the starter in the FLEX role. The two wide receiver spots are occupied by Detroit’s Jameson Williams and Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

“Samuel may not be a big fantasy name, but he’s certainly in the sleeper conversation. Even though he hasn’t put up huge totals on a seasonal basis, the veteran hasn’t either “Been in such a positive position with a chance for a career-high total targets while catching passes from a superstar quarterback in Allen, Samuel has a legitimate shot to make some noise,” Fabiano said.

It’s important to recognize that Samuel has yet to play with a quarterback of Josh Allen’s caliber. His best statistical receiving season (851 yards) came with Teddy Bridgewater as QB1 in Carolina. In what was, coincidentally, Joe Brady’s only season as the Panthers’ offensive coordinator, Samuel totaled 1,051 yards from scrimmage in 15 games in 2020.

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Over the past two seasons, Samuel has made 33 appearances for the Commanders. He caught nearly 69 percent of targets for 1,269 yards through the air and totaled 10 touchdowns (8 rec, 2 rush) during that span.

As Buffalo attempts to compensate for the departures of WR1 Stefon Diggs and WR2 Gabe Davis, Samuel is expected to be targeted over 100 times in the passing game. With Brady set for his first full season as the Bills’ offensive play-caller, it’s believed the plan, coupled with top-tier QB play, will maximize Samuel’s potential.