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Deebo Samuel Sr., one of the San Francisco 49ers star receivers, injured his calf in the team’s Week 2 contest against the Minnesota Vikings. The injury could not come at a worse time for the Niners, as Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) and George Kittle (hamstring) are both also currently sidelined.
With Samuel expected to miss Week 4 (and possibly beyond), the Niners (and fantasy managers) find themselves in a difficult position as they attempt to fill the gap he brings to the offense.
Below is my analysis of Samuel’s injury, as well as his fantasy football outlook for the remainder of the 2024 NFL season. Let’s jump in.
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Deebo Samuel Injury Update for Fantasy Football
Samuel was originally expected to miss “a couple of weeks,” according to 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, who spoke to the media after Week 2’s contest. Since then, he has yet to practice, and the amount of time he will be sidelined still reflects the original diagnosis.
49ers WR Deebo Samuel suffered a calf strain and will miss a few weeks. pic.twitter.com/wQhxBJdjBD
— NFL (@NFL) September 16, 2024
No new news has been reported regarding Samuel’s injury status, and he is still not expected to practice this week or return in the immediate future.
Since Samuel has been injury-prone over the last few seasons, the 49ers will likely not rush him back into game action. A Week 5 return is possible, but it is much more likely that he does not play until Week 6 or Week 7.
Deebo Samuel Fantasy Football Outlook
When healthy, Samuel has been a borderline elite fantasy player over the past few seasons. In 2023, when he managed to play 15 games, he finished as the overall WR15 (PPR). The year before that (2022), when he only managed to play 13 games, he finished as the WR40.
Samuel has a very unique ability to both catch passes and run the ball out of the backfield. This has allowed him to consistently see touches and rack up scores and fantasy points even in the loaded 49ers offense.
DEEBO SAMUEL BACKING UP HIS TRASH TALK WITH A TOUCHDOWN
49ERS UP 21-6 IN PHILLY
pic.twitter.com/2wNLIuxlU5— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) December 3, 2023
Needless to say, when Samuel returns, he is a must-start fantasy player. However, when he will return is still unclear. Fantasy managers should look for a streamer to replace him for at least the next week or two.
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