Tracking whether Deebo Samuel is playing in Week 13 has been somewhat of a roller-coaster experience for fantasy football managers this week. With the San Francisco 49ers‘ WR dealing with a deep thigh bruise this week, his status has very much been in the air all week and appears to be the case on Sunday morning still.
Let’s examine the latest updates on Samuel and whether fantasy managers should be looking to start him this week against the Miami Dolphins.
Update: Deebo Samuel is active for Week 13.
Is Deebo Samuel Playing Today?
Entering Sunday morning, Samuel is reportedly a “true game-time decision,” a source told NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. That appeared to be the way it was trending heading into the weekend after we heard head coach Kyle Shanahan speak to the media Friday.
Shanahan told reporters that Samuel did not do much at practice Friday and that his deep thigh bruise had not progressed how the team had hoped. The fact Samuel was even able to practice Friday is a positive. When he was downgraded to a non-participant Thursday, it appeared as though he was on track to be inactive for Week 13.
Later on Sunday morning, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Samuel does indeed plan to play in Week 13. In the report, Schefter said that barring a setback, Samuel plans to go. Of course, the team will have the final say, but it does appear as though there is more chance of Samuel playing this week than not as of 6:40 a.m. ET on Sunday morning.
The problem for fantasy managers is that with the 49ers not playing until the late-afternoon window, they may have to make a decision on Samuel before knowing definitively whether he is active or not. Unless you can turn over a bench spot to get another late-afternoon window, you may need to consider starting a seemingly lesser option than Samuel this week.
Samuel’s Fantasy Outlook for Week 13
Regardless of Samuel’s situation this week, this matchup is not an overly enticing one. The Dolphins have been a tough matchup for opposing WRs in recent weeks. They haven’t allowed over 25 fantasy points in any of their last four games, twice holding the position under 20 fantasy points in that stretch.
Combining that with the uncertainty over whether Samuel is playing and how much he will play, this is a less-than-ideal situation for fantasy managers. If you’re happy turning over a bench spot to give yourself a chance to wait for his status, then it’s an option. However, if you’re not feeling great about the other options available in the early window, it might not be the best decision.
Samuel has not been the slam-dunk starter that we hoped for this season. He’s failed to score double-digit fantasy points in half-PPR scoring in three of the last four games while dealing with some injury issues. On the year, he’s averaging more than seven fantasy points per game fewer than he did in 2021, thanks in large part to only finding the end zone four times compared to 14 last season.
MORE: Sunday WR Injury Report Week 13
At this stage, Samuel is not a player I am rushing to start in Week 13. As a fantasy manager, I would much prefer he misses the game and gets fully healthy for the playoff run.
In his Week 13 WR fantasy rankings, PFN Senior Fantasy Analyst Tommy Garrett has Samuel down at WR47. That really puts him outside of 14-team consideration but keeps him in the frame as a Flex consideration in 16-team leagues.
If you’re playing in Underdog Fantasy Best Ball leagues this week, then Samuel could be an intriguing late-round selection. With Elijah Mitchell on IR, we could see Samuel getting more red-zone opportunities in the run game, giving him an enticing ceiling at times. This week, however, Samuel represents the ultimate boom-bust draft pick.