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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. (wrist, illness) is one of the most electric players in the entire league. Able to contribute significantly both as a wideout and as a running back, he's been a fantasy superstar in recent years. He's also struggled with injuries at multiple stages of his career, though.
Still, he's consistently taken in the early rounds of fantasy drafts due to his massive upside. He's delivered seven games of 18+ PPR fantasy points in 2023, and regularly helps fantasy managers win tough matchups. His ceiling games are important for bailing out teams when other players aren't able to.
Unfortunately, as is often the case, Samuel is dealing with health issues heading into Sunday night's matchup. So will he play?
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Deebo Samuel Fantasy Football Injury Update
Recent reports indicate that he is on track to play against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. He was pulled from his Week 7 matchup after struggling to breathe, and was later hospitalized with pneumonia-like symptoms. Fortunately, he was released from the hospital shortly after.
Deebo Samuel, hospitalized earlier this week with pneumonia, is back out at 49ers practice and looking like his usual self. Samuel appears on track to play against the Cowboys pic.twitter.com/OT0KvXJzI1
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) October 24, 2024
He is officially listed as "Questionable", and the possibility of another decoy game, as head coach Kyle Shanahan likes to deliver, likely has a bitter taste in the mouths of fantasy managers. It's also worth noting that he has a lingering wrist issue, which is never good. Samuel has been steadily improving throughout the week, which is good news.
UPDATE: Samuel is expected to play on Sunday.
Deebo Samuel goes from the hospital to an NFL field in the span of five days. Pretty remarkable. https://t.co/gAJYdEgl1D
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) October 27, 2024
Deebo Samuel Fantasy Football Injury Impact
The sixth-year pro has had games where he's hardly targeted due to injuries. Shanahan loves using his star players as decoys when they're hurt and need their workloads limited, presumably to prevent them from re-aggravating existing ailments after taking big hits. Week 5 against Arizona this year and Week 4 against... Arizona again last year are perfect examples.
the 49ers to anyone who bet deebo samuel or started him in fantasy pic.twitter.com/mkLKhzzJue
— Emerson Lotzia, Jr. (@EmersonLotzia) October 20, 2024
The 49ers are a banged-up squad in general -- tight end George Kittle (foot) is "questionable" for Sunday's matchup, star WR Brandon Aiyuk (knee) is out for the season, and the current second-string WR Jauan Jennings (hip) is "out". Samuel's upside is just tremendous. If he can go, he could have a huge game.
The decoy games are always concerning, but they're much less common than his explosive performances, and in a depleted roster, he could see enough volume to have a big day.
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