Is Deebo Samuel Injured or Playing In The Conference Championship? Should I Start Jauan Jennings For Fantasy Football?

The San Francisco 49ers will battle against the Detroit Lions in the NFC Championship on Sunday. The winner will then get the chance to play in Super Bowl LVIII. The 49ers are currently huge favorites at home this weekend, but they could be without a top playmaker.

Deebo Samuel (shoulder) exited last week's Divisional Round game against the Green Bay Packers after only four offensive snaps. He did not return, and his status for Sunday's game is now in question.

Is Samuel still injured? Will he play in the NFC Championship Game? Let's dive in.

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Is Deebo Samuel Playing In The Conference Championship?

Samuel was injured on a screen pass early in the first quarter and appeared to land hard on his shoulder. He was slow to get up and eventually went to the locker room for an MRI. The speedy wideout was officially ruled out after halftime and did not return.

After the game, it was revealed that Samuel did not fracture anything, which was relatively positive news. But his status for the NFC Championship Game was still up in the air. As of Thursday, it remains to be seen if the 28-year-old wideout will play on Sunday. 

However, he is making positive strides in his shoulder recovery. Following a missed practice on Wednesday, Samuel upgraded his practice status on Thursday and practiced in a limited fashion. With the season on the line, the speedy playmaker will do all he can to play in the NFC Championship, and there's certainly a chance he does suit up.

Should I Start Jauan Jennings for Fantasy Football?

If Samuel is unable to go on Sunday, wide receiver Jauan Jennings would be next in line to see added targets in the passing game. Last week, Jennings was a great fill-in, catching five passes for 61 yards against the Packers. He would be a sneaky option in all daily fantasy sports (DFS) contests as the 49ers' WR2 this weekend.

Jennings has shown signs of life at points this year when Brandon Aiyuk or Samuel misses. Back in Week 7, he caught five passes for 54 yards with Samuel missing. But he's also been inconsistent in some spots, even when given more chances -- like in Week 8 when he was held to zero catches across 50 snaps.

However, there's a good chance a better day will be in store if Samuel misses. The Lions have given up the second-most fantasy points to opposing wideouts per game, and that should help Jennings in fantasy this weekend. But if Samuel suits up, Jennings is not a strong play in DFS lineups. 

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