The San Francisco 49ers will face the Arizona Cardinals in Week 18. 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 18?
The oft-injured Deebo Samuel Sr. did not practice at all this week due to rib and knee injuries. Samuel appeared fine coming out of Monday night’s game but will see his season end with a career-low 44.7 receiving yards per game.
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.
Deebo Samuel’s Fantasy Outlook
Last week was Samuel’s second (healthy) half this season without a single target. While he scored on his only “target” of the game, that was nothing more than a run play that happened to feature a forward lateral.
He has multiple rush attempts in four straight games, and even if he were playing, that wouldn’t have been enough to keep him ranked as a fantasy starter this week.
Samuel saw 16 targets in the two weeks before last week’s struggles, but that came on the heels of earning just 12 looks over a three-game stretch. I was hopeful that he’d establish some level of consistent role in this passing attack with Brandon Aiyuk out, but that’s been more Jauan Jennings than anything.
At this point, Samuel’s name carries more value than his on-field production. We’ll see if he is able to rebound next season.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 18 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.