Curtis Samuel is a Potential Breakout in 2019 Fantasy Football Season

Training camp hype has steered many fantasy football owners wrong in the past. Players with tantalizing skillsets like Stephen Hill, Cordarelle Patterson and Montae Ball were all once viewed as breakout candidates, yet fantasy owners who took the plunge were certainly not rewarded.

Despite the countless cautionary tales, it’s hard not to get excited when you read about a talented player dominating camp. And Carolina Panthers WR Curtis Samuel is doing just that.

Maybe it's who I'm following, maybe it's because I'm recognizing it more, maybe there's some sort of bias -- I don't know. But it seems like the relevant fantasy football asset who's dominating camp most this season is Curtis Samuel.
— JJ Zachariason (@LateRoundQB) July 29, 2019

Samuel has yet to record more than 500 yards in a single season at the NFL level, but he has some serious upside. He was drafted in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft, and ran a 4.31 40-yard dash at the combine. He put that speed to good use at the tail end of the 2018 season, racking up at least 70 yards receiving in three of his last five games played.

With Devin Funchess now out of the picture, Samuel has a chance to step into a much more consistent role with the team. Funchess tallied 192 targets over the past two seasons, and Cam Newton could be throwing a ton of those passes in Samuel's direction this season.

Curtis Samuel in #ReceptionPerception last season:
- 76.6% success rate vs. man coverage (94th percentile)
- 74.6% success rate vs. press coverage (79th percentile)
- Scored at or above the NFL average success rate on all branches of the route tree.

So, yes. Can confirm. https://t.co/CQzhWA3WcX
— Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) July 29, 2019

Currently being drafted as WR47 (123rd overall) according to FantasyPros, Samuel is a worthy late-round target. If his recent performance at training camp is any indication, Samuel could be a massive steal in the upcoming season.

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Max Staley is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Max Staley also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mstaley1212. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.