Is Deebo Samuel Healthy or Injured? Fantasy Football Injury Update

The San Francisco 49ers are arguably the most dangerous team in the NFC, especially after acquiring Pro Bowl running back Christian McCaffrey at the trade deadline.  Another reason they are so dangerous on offense is do-it-all receiver slash runner Deebo Samuel. He is coming off a game against the Arizona Cardinals where he caught seven passes for 57 yards and added 37 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Samuel battled hamstring troubles earlier this season which caused him to miss his Week 8 game, but he looked like he regained his burst and seemed 100-percent healthy versus Arizona. Yet his name has now popped up on the injury report again due to his cranky hamstring, and he has been limited in practice this week. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said this was a different hamstring injury then the one that hampered Samuel in Week 8 and that it only started bothering him on Wednesday

So is the oft-injured Samuel going to suit up this Sunday at home against the New Orleans Saints? Here is the latest:

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Is Deebo Samuel Healthy or Injured?

As of the writing of this article, it appears Samuel is on track to play on Sunday, although he is not 100 percent. He was a limited practice participant on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, which is a lot better than him not practicing at all. The 49ers might be just taking it easy on their star playmaker and keeping his practice reps at a minimum so he will be fresh and injury-free heading into Sunday. Some local beat reporters think Samuel should be good to go.

Samuel will run routes against a New Orleans defense that is in the top 10 against the pass and allowing under 200 passing yards per game. He might find easier sledding on the ground as the Saints have been subpar against the run (23^rd in NFL). The way the 49ers offense is clicking right now, the Saints will be hard-pressed to stop Samuel and the rest of the runners and receivers.

Keep an eye on the injury report and the news wire this weekend to make sure Samuel is playing Sunday afternoon.  Everything is trending towards him showing up and being his spectacular self, but one misstep over the weekend could send his hamstring and his availability into a tailspin. Samuel is a surefire start if he gives the green light that he can go. Fantasy managers always must be careful when a player is tagged as “questionable,” however.

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