DeeboSamuel Sr.

News: 11 hours agoCoach Kyle Shanahan said Samuel (calf) won't practice Wednesday, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

Spin: This comes as no surprise after Shanahan relayed Monday that Samuel was slated to miss "a couple" games due to a strained right calf that he suffered late in this past Sunday's loss at Minnesota, per Matt Barrows of The Athletic. Samuel thus is destined to be ruled out by week's end ahead of Sunday's road matchup with the Rams. Jauan Jennings is poised to jump into the starting lineup alongside Brandon Aiyuk during Samuel's absence, while Chris Conley, Ronnie Bell and Jacob Cowing are the other healthy wide receivers in the 49ers' active roster.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: The 49ers are flush with talent, making each player's volume difficult to predict on a weekly basis. Christian McCaffrey's arrival, however, appears to have had the biggest impact on Samuel, whose rushing opportunities have dwindled from 3.7 per game in 2021 to 2.5 per contest in 2023. Still, the wideback continued to produce for fantasy managers, thriving in the red area of the field with a team-leading number of red zone looks (17) and 12 total TDs (WR4). While durability is a concern, Samuel's versatile usage and overall efficiency provide him with a sky-high ceiling. Target him as a WR2.