Deebo Samuel may no longer be the No. 1 WR for the San Francisco 49ers, but he is still a massive part of the San Francisco offense because of how incredible he is with the ball in his hands as an offensive weapon. What do we know about his injury?
Deebo Samuel Injury Update
Samuel went to the medical tent around the same time the team lost legendary offensive tackle Trent Williams to an apparent right leg injury. Samuel’s injury is a bit mysterious, but it’s being reported as a shoulder injury, and he is questionable to return.
The two-fold injury will make things far more complicated for a 49ers offense that currently appears to have every answer to questions a defense can ask them. But losing players of Williams and Samuels’ caliber will put more on the playmakers that remain on the field, and their young quarterback.
Samuel was seen on the broadcast heading through the tunnel for further evaluation. No video of the injury was available on social media or from the broadcast.
Samuel had amassed 20 receptions for 302 yards and 1 TD through the 49ers first five games. But more than the impact he has on the field in production is the impact he creates because of the attitude and physicality he plays with at the position.
But that aggression can oftentimes lead to bumps and bruises along the way. Samuel has a somewhat extensive injury history dating back to his time at South Carolina.
Update (2:55 p.m. ET): Samuel has been ruled out with the shoulder injury he sustained in the first quarter. Samuel was seen on the sideline wearing a sweatshirt and beanie before officially being ruled out.
Update (5:09 p.m. ET): Samuel’s x-ray was negative. Although an MRI is on the way, the thought is that his injury is not serious in nature.
Deebo Samuel Fantasy Impact
An injury to Deebo Samuel could mean an immediate bump in fantasy value to both Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle. The San Francisco 49ers passing attack has been tough to project on a weekly basis, but if Samuel is unavailable moving forward, Aiyuk instantly jumps into top-12 consideration at the WR position on a weekly basis.
Kittle would likely see more work in the passing game too, moving him into top-3 consideration at the TE position. Other pass catchers who could see an expanded role while Samuel is unavailable would be Jauan Jennings.