The San Francisco 49ers will face the Miami Dolphins in Week 16. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding WR Deebo Samuel.
Is Deebo Samuel Playing in Week 16?
Samuel is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any setbacks, he is on track to play this weekend.
We’ll continue to monitor the 49ers injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Deebo Samuel in Week 16?
Samuel has 10 career games with 20+ routes run and under seven PPR points; Four of those instances have come in the past month. How, in three months, have we gone from “versatile weapon with an increased role expectation as a result of injuries” (if I didn’t write that exact sentence in September, I had to have come close) to “diva that is struggling even when prioritized by the coaching staff”?
I wish I had that answer for you. Despite being featured last week (three targets and a rush attempt on Brock Purdy’s first nine snaps under center), Samuel left us out to dry. Again.
Father Time can be an unforgiving soul, but Samuel is 28 years old and showed signs in the middle of this season that he still had “it.” During a four-game run, he posted three stat lines that featured a 30+ yard catch and at least three rush attempts.
But now here we are. Second-guessing any consideration of Samuel if you somehow have survived two straight scoreless months and five straight sub-25 receiving-yard games. The theoretical upside remains there, but nothing that he (or this team) is telling us suggests that he’s ready to break out of this funk.
When taking a look under the statistical hood of a fantasy asset, I look for signs of hope and settle if no such data presents itself. Generally speaking, I go in looking for something to hang my hat on, especially with a player who has seen his production trend in one direction without an obvious reason why.
Is Samuel leaving air yards on the field? That is, are there high-upside targets in his profile that just aren’t currently giving us much in the way of production?
Nope.
With the air yards lagging, maybe there is PPR upside to chase? While the deep shots might be a thing of the past, this tough-to-tackle commodity still carries upside if he’s an oft-targeted player, even if the passes aren’t thrown very deep.
Surely this has to be the case with the array of injuries that this team has dealt with.
Nope.
Samuel was an elite threat to do damage in scoring situations last season. Maybe he’s still getting those dangerous touches and just running cold on converting them?
Nope.
Samuel did drop what could have been a touchdown last week, and if he cashes that slant route in, the story is likely completely different. I understand that. But he didn’t, and it’s not.
You can chase the 2023 version of Samuel all you like and maybe you catch lightning in a bottle. It could happen.
But everything is trending in the wrong direction, and with the Dolphins posting a top-10 defense in terms of red-zone efficiency and pass-touchdown percentage, not to mention a recent spike in pressure rate (Samuel’s on-field target share when Purdy is pressured is down from 17.8% last season to 12.9% this year), this matchup doesn’t profile as the get-right spot you’re searching for.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 16 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Deebo Samuel’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 16
As of Sunday morning, Samuel is projected to score 9.9 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 2.6 receptions for 39.9 yards and 0.2 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
Deebo Samuel’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 11:45 PM ET on Saturday, January 25.
Conference Championship WR PPR Rankings
1) A.J. Brown | PHI (vs. WAS)
2) Terry McLaurin | WAS (at PHI)
3) DeVonta Smith | PHI (vs. WAS)
4) Khalil Shakir | BUF (at KC)
5) Xavier Worthy | KC (vs. BUF)
6) Hollywood Brown | KC (vs. BUF)
7) DeAndre Hopkins | KC (vs. BUF)
8) Keon Coleman | BUF (at KC)
9) Dyami Brown | WAS (at PHI)
10) Mack Hollins | BUF (at KC)
11) Amari Cooper | BUF (at KC)
12) Curtis Samuel | BUF (at KC)
13) Olamide Zaccheaus | WAS (at PHI)
14) JuJu Smith-Schuster | KC (vs. BUF)
15) Jahan Dotson | PHI (vs. WAS)
16) Jamison Crowder | WAS (at PHI)
17) Luke McCaffrey | WAS (at PHI)
18) Justin Watson | KC (vs. BUF)
19) Johnny Wilson | PHI (vs. WAS)
20) Parris Campbell | PHI (vs. WAS)
21) Nikko Remigio | KC (vs. BUF)
22) Ainias Smith | PHI (vs. WAS)
