Samuel caught one of three targets for 11 yards and rushed three times for nine yards in Sunday's 24-23 loss to Arizona.
Samuel was held to a season-low 20 combined yards as Arizona's defense keyed its focus in on the dual-position star. Brandon Aiyuk (8-147-0) and George Kittle (8-64-1) did the heavy lifting for San Francisco in the passing game while the team fell short in a favored matchup. The 28-year-old Samuel had been a steady producer prior to Sunday's dud, so fantasy managers shouldn't fret as the team looks to hit the reset button quickly ahead of a Week 6 matchup against Seattle on Thursday Night Football.
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49ers' Deebo Samuel: WRs to Start
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I'm starting a pair of 49ers this week with Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, and this should be the first time where both of San Francisco's top receivers go off. Samuel scored at least 18 PPR points in his first two games of the season before missing Week 3 with a calf injury. He returned in Week 4 and scored just 10.2 PPR points against New England, but I'm expecting him to get back to his dominant ways in Week 5. He has scored at least 21 PPR points in two of his past four meetings with the Cardinals. Aiyuk has scored at least 16 PPR points in three of his past five games with Arizona, and hopefully this matchup gets him going. Aiyuk has yet to score even 10 PPR points in any game this year. Both 49ers receivers have top-20 upside this week.
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49ers' Deebo Samuel: Gains 72 yards on five touches
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Samuel (calf) finished with three receptions (five targets) for 58 yards and 14 rushing yards on two attempts in Sunday's 30-13 win over the Patriots.
Samuel made a triumphant return from a one-game absence due to a calf injury. The dual-position superstar didn't post gaudy fantasy totals while finishing second in receiving behind the red-hot Jauan Jennings (3-88-0) and with Jordan Mason, George Kittle and Fred Warner (ankle) cashing in on the 49ers' three scoring opportunities Sunday. With Samuel being eased back into a comfortable win, fantasy managers can feel positive heading into a potential high-scoring NFC West matchup against Arizona in Week 5.
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49ers' Deebo Samuel: Active in Week 4
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Samuel (calf) is listed as active Sunday versus the Patriots, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.
After straining his right calf during a Week 2 loss at Minnesota, Samuel was slated to be out a few games, but he's bucked those expectations and made a speedy recovery. He did manage just a pair of capped practices during Week 4 prep, so the 49ers may keep a close eye on his workload Sunday. Still, Samuel will be available for passes from QB Brock Purdy and potentially even a few carries behind starting RB Jordan Mason.
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49ers' Deebo Samuel: Expects to play Sunday
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Samuel (calf), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game versus the Patriots, is planning on playing, per NFL Insider Jordan Schultz.
Samuel missed the 49ers' loss to the Rams in Week 3 while nursing a calf injury that he suffered the week prior against the Vikings. The wide receiver said Saturday that he plans on making his return to the field in Week 4, and if he does so, he will beat his initial timeline of two-to-three weeks sidelined. An official decision on his availability will likely be made after the team's pregame workouts Sunday ahead of the matchup with New England at 4:05 p.m. ET.
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49ers' Deebo Samuel: Real chance to play this week?
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San Francisco GM John Lynch said Friday that Samuel (calf) has a chance to play Sunday against the Patriots, David Lombardi of the San Francisco Standard reports.
Initially expected to be out for two or three weeks, Samuel missed only one game before returning to practice Thursday as a limited participant. Lynch said Samuel has "hit all the markers" in his recovery, noting that "the best athletes seem to heal at a little better rate." Another absence still is the most likely outcome -- especially with the 49ers favored by more than a touchdown this week -- but there's at least a chance Samuel plays if things go well at practice Friday.
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49ers' Deebo Samuel: Not practicing Wednesday
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San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan said Samuel (calf) won't practice Wednesday, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Samuel will be listed as a non-participant on a fourth consecutive practice report due to the right hamstring strain that he sustained late in the fourth quarter of a Week 2 loss at Minnesota. There's an expectation that he'll miss a few games as a result of the injury, and with one missed game under his belt already, he seems destined to be ruled out for Sunday's matchup with the Patriots at some point. Having said that, if Samuel returns to drills in some capacity Thursday or Friday, there's a chance he enters the weekend with a designation for Sunday's contest. In any case, Jauan Jennings stands to benefit in the 49ers offense as long as Samuel is sidelined.
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49ers' Deebo Samuel: In line for multi-game absence
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San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that Samuel strained his calf with just over two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss at Minnesota, and the injury will cause the wide receiver to sit out "a couple" games, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.
At first glance, Samuel's snap share (86 percent) and output (10 touches for 100 yards from scrimmage) from Week 2 weren't out of the ordinary, so the timing of the health concern makes sense. Assuming Samuel is sidelined for at least Sunday's road game against the Rams, Jauan Jennings will be the top option to step up alongside starting wideout Brandon Aiyuk, with Chris Conley, Ronnie Bell and Jacob Cowing the other healthy members at the position on the 49ers' active roster.
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49ers' Deebo Samuel: Set to miss time
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Coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that Samuel suffered a calf strain and is slated to miss "a couple weeks," David Lombardi of The Athletic reports.
Samuel presumably picked up the health concern during Sunday's loss to the Vikings, a contest in which he logged a typical snap share (86 percent) while recording eight catches (on 10 targets) for 110 yards and two carries for minus-2 yards. With Samuel in line to miss game action, Jauan Jennings likely will be the primary beneficiary next to starting WR Brandon Aiyuk, but Chris Conley, Ronnie Bell and Jacob Cowing are the other options at the position on the active roster.
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49ers' Deebo Samuel: Scores in MNF win
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Samuel brought in five of nine targets for 54 yards and a carried the ball eight times for 23 yards and a touchdown in Monday's 32-19 win over the Jets.
Samuel produced a typical dual-threat performance with eight rushes and five receptions en route to 13.7 points in standard fantasy formats. With the absence of star running back Christian McCaffrey (calf/Achilles) on Monday, both Samuel and backup running back Jordan Mason (28-147-1) picked up the slack in the backfield to propel San Francisco to its first victory of the 2024 season. Samuel remains a top fantasy option whether he lines up out wide or in the backfield as the 49ers prepare to face the Vikings on Sunday.
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49ers' Deebo Samuel: Makes preseason debut Friday
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Samuel corralled two of three targets for 32 yards in Friday's preseason tie with the Raiders.
Samuel did not have a rushing attempt in Friday's exhibition, seeing action over the team's first three drives before exiting with the rest of the starters. Fellow wideout Brandon Aiyuk remained out of uniform due to continued contract negotiations that have dominated the offseason headlines in San Francisco. Samuel's role is unlikely to change even if Aiyuk gets moved, giving fantasy managers confidence in the former's productivity come Week 1.
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49ers' Deebo Samuel: Powers through injury in OT loss
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Samuel (hamstring) finished with three receptions (on 11 targets) for 33 yards while rushing three times for eight yards in Sunday's 25-22 overtime loss to the Chiefs.
Samuel went down clutching his hamstring early in the second half and had to miss roughly five minutes of game time while being examined on the sideline. The physical wideout eventually returned and got involved on a couple of short gains in the fourth quarter to help San Francisco keep its Lombardi hopes alive. Samuel's heroic effort was still not enough to topple the reigning champs after the 49ers fell to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl for the second time in five seasons. The 27-year-old produced strong results from a fantasy standpoint in 2023, scoring 12 total touchdowns while going over 1,000 yards from scrimmage for the second time as a pro. Samuel will have to lick his wounds this offseason before running it back with San Francisco for the second year of a three-year, $71.5 million contract extension that he signed in 2022.
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49ers' Deebo Samuel: Returns to Super Bowl
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Samuel (hamstring) returned to Sunday's game against the Chiefs, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Samuel went down with a non-contact injury midway through the third quarter but wasn't forced to miss any time. He'll return to his typical role in the 49ers offense.
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49ers' Deebo Samuel: Suffers hamstring injury
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Samuel is questionable to return to Sunday's game against the Chiefs due to a hamstring injury, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Samuel pulled up in the middle of a route in the third quarter and received attention from the trainers on the field. He was able to walk to the sideline without assistance and has since been examined in the blue tent. His absence would be a big blow to the San Francisco offense, with Jauan Jennings likely to be asked to step up in Samuel's absence.
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49ers' Deebo Samuel: Good to go Sunday
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Samuel (shoulder) doesn't carry an injury designation for Sunday's NFC Championship Game against the Lions after practicing fully Friday.
After being deemed a non-participant in Wednesday's practice, Samuel was a limited participant Thursday and closed out the week with an uncapped session, setting the stage for the receiver to play without restrictions Sunday. Samuel sustained a left shoulder injury during last Saturday's 24-21 divisional-round win over the Packers, but he was fortunate to avoid any structural damage after fracturing the same shoulder earlier in the season. Assuming Samuel experiences no in-game setbacks, he'll continue to maintain his key role in the 49ers offense opposite fellow starting wideout Brandon Aiyuk.
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49ers' Deebo Samuel: To be limited Thursday
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Coach Kyle Shanahan said Samuel (shoulder) will be limited at Thursday's practice, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
In the wake of Samuel missing the second half of the 49ers' divisional-round win against the Packers due to a left shoulder injury, it was revealed that he didn't suffer a fracture but was in a lot of discomfort, leaving him a 50-50 proposition for the NFC Championship Game. While he was listed as a non-participant for Wednesday's walkthrough, he was able to work on the side and even managed at least one full-speed sprint during the part of the session open to the media, per Matt Barrows of The Athletic. Samuel is taking another step in the right direction Thursday, but even if he progresses to full by Friday, he seems destined to enter the weekend with a designation for Sunday's contest against the Lions.
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49ers' Deebo Samuel: Gets in some work at practice
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Samuel (shoulder), who was officially listed as a non-participant at Wednesday's walkthrough practice, was seen working on a side field and took part in full-speed sprints during the portion of the session open to the media, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.
Prior to the 49ers taking the practice field, head coach Kyle Shanahan told David Lombardi of The Athletic that Samuel wouldn't take part in Wednesday's session, but the wide receiver was "feeling better" after making an early exit from the 49ers' divisional-round win over the Packers due to a left shoulder injury. Though Samuel avoided any structural damage after previously suffering a microfracture of the same shoulder in Week 6 and missing the 49ers' ensuing two games, the 49ers are reportedly viewing the wideout as having a "50-50" chance of playing in Sunday's NFC Championship Game against the Lions, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. Samuel still has two more chances to mix into drills this week, including Thursday, when San Francisco will hold a more traditional practice. Wideouts Jauan Jennings (5-61-0 receiving line on six targets), Chris Conley (1-17-0 line on one target) and Ray-Ray McCloud (1-7-0 line on two targets) stepped up alongside starter Brandon Aiyuk after Samuel missed the entire second half of the divisional round.
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49ers' Deebo Samuel: Not practicing Wednesday
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Samuel (shoulder) won't participate in Wednesday's walkthrough practice, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
Samuel hurt his left shoulder on the opening drive of Saturday's 24-21 win over Green Bay in the divisional round and ended up playing three snaps in the first quarter, six in the second quarter and none after halftime. His absence Wednesday isn't the best sign for his chances of playing Sunday in the NFC Championship Game against the Lions, but the more important factor will be his participation -- or lack thereof -- Thursday, when the Niners hold a more intense practice rather than a walkthrough. No. 3 receiver Jauan Jennings stepped up following Samuel's early exit against the Packers, playing 65 percent of snaps in the second half en route to a 5-61-1 receiving line on six targets. Chris Conley also played more, taking 51 percent of snaps post-halftime while catching his lone target for a 17-yard gain.
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49ers' Deebo Samuel: Cleared to return
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Samuel (head) has been cleared to return to Saturday's playoff game against the Packers, Bridget Condon of NFL Network reports.
Samuel headed to the medical tent after taking a hit in the first quarter, and he was initially deemed questionable to return. However, he's since been given the go-ahead to re-enter the contest. In addition to starting at wide receiver, Samuel also took the 49ers' first kick return in the divisional-round matchup.
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49ers' Deebo Samuel: Questionable to return Saturday
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Samuel suffered a head injury during Saturday's divisional-round matchup against Green Bay and is questionable to return, Bridget Condon of NFL Network reports.
Samuel suffered the injury after making a catch in the first quarter and took some time to leave the field. He subsequently headed to the medical tent and has been deemed questionable to return. If Samuel is unable to get back into the contest, Jauan Jennings will likely see more snaps on offense for the 49ers.
