It is assumed that Deebo Samuel's reunion with the 49ers is because of injuries to other prominent receivers on the team. Because Samuel is familiar with the offense, he immediately becomes an intriguing late Fantasy pick as a quality bench option. In 2024 with the Niners he averaged just 10.2 PPR points on 5.4 targets per game, both five-year lows. But with opportunities available in the pass game (and maybe even a little in the run game), Samuel can achieve a little bit more for managers in 2026, even at age 30. Further evidence of that can be found in his 2025 stats in Washington, when he averaged 11.8 PPR points on 6.2 targets per game, including an outstanding five-game stretch to begin the season (17.7 PPR points on 7.6 targets per game). As long as he gets a shot at regular playing time in San Francisco, which seems likely, Samuel will be an easy click in Round 10 or later.
49ers' Deebo Samuel: Goes through full practice Saturday
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Samuel was a full participant in Saturday's training camp practice, his first since signing with the 49ers on Thursday, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.
General manager John Lynch relayed to reporters before Saturday's practice that Samuel is in "really good shape," and the veteran wideout backed up that endorsement with a strong practice Saturday. The addition of Samuel is a timely one, given that Ricky Pearsall is scheduled to undergo season-ending surgery over the next couple of weeks to repair a PCL injury in his right knee. Samuel figures to slide in as the 49ers' WR3 behind Mike Evans and Christian Kirk (calf), with De'Zhaun Stribling (hamstring) also competing for consistent snaps on offense.
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49ers' Deebo Samuel: Back in San Francisco
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Samuel and the 49ers agreed on a one-year, $7 million contract Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Samuel will return to San Francisco after spending the 2025 campaign with the Commanders, with whom he reeled in 72 of 99 targets for 727 yards and five touchdowns while also adding 75 yards and a score over 17 carries in 16 regular-season contests. The wide receiver spent the first six seasons of his NFL career in Kyle Shanahan's offense with the 49ers, and he likely will have no problem fitting right back in. The 49ers are concerned about the availability of Ricky Pearsall (knee) in 2026, while free-agent addition Christian Kirk is dealing with a calf injury early in training camp. The team added veteran Mike Evans in free agency, and he'll enter the 2026 campaign as the team's No. 1 wide receiver. After Evans, Samuel will compete with Pearsall (if available), Kirk and rookie second-round pick De'Zhaun Stribling for touches in the WR room.
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Deebo Samuel: Remains unsigned
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Samuel, who remains a free agent, is gearing up to play this season, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reports.
As long as he remains unsigned, Samuel remains a speculative fantasy option. However, with several NFL teams in need of veteran wideout depth, the 30-year-old figures to catch on somewhere before Week 1, and where he lands will determine his weekly lineup upside. Samuel, who believes that at this stage of his career that he has "at least like three, four good years left," is coming off a 2025 regular season with the Commanders in which he caught 72 of his 99 targets for 727 yards and five TDs while also carrying the ball 17 times for 75 yards and a score in 16 games.
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Deebo Samuel: Among best remaining free agent WRs
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Samuel is among the remaining veteran free agents the Raiders could consider signing to bolster their wide receiver corps, according to ESPN.com's Adam Schefter.
There are a number of other big-name WR options who remain unsigned as well, including Stefon Diggs, Tyreek Hill, DeAndre Hopkins and Keenan Allen. Ahead of training camp, Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor, Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton lead an unproven Las Vegas receiving corps, and adding a veteran like Samuel to the mix could make sense for an offense that will eventually be helmed by 2026 first overall pick Fernando Mendoza. In 16 regular-season contests with the Commanders in 2025, Samuel brought in 72 of his 99 targets for 727 yards and five TDs, while also carrying the ball 17 times for 75 yards and a score.
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Commanders' Deebo Samuel: Two catches in victory
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Samuel caught two of five targets for 20 yards and rushed twice for one yard in Sunday's 24-17 win over the Eagles.
Samuel was held to two catches for the second straight week, while his 20 receiving yards were his fewest since Week 8. The wide receiver completed his regular season having caught 72 of 99 targets for 727 yards and five touchdowns while also turning 17 carries into 75 yards and a score over 16 contests. Samuel will enter the offseason as a free agent, and he proved he's still got plenty left in the tank, recording his most receptions since the 2021 campaign.
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Commanders' Deebo Samuel: Tops 90 scrimmage yards in loss
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Samuel caught two of four targets for 68 yards and added 25 rushing yards on two carries in the Commanders' 30-23 loss to the Cowboys on Christmas Day.
The 93 scrimmage yards were Samuel's highest total since Week 5. The veteran wideout hasn't handled more than four touches in any of the last four games, managing a 12-173-0 line on 19 targets during that span in addition to Thursday's 25 rushing yards. He'll look to make his first trip to the end zone since Week 11 in a Week 18 trip to Philadelphia.
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Commanders' Deebo Samuel: Three grabs in win over Giants
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Samuel caught three of five targets for 43 yards in Sunday's 29-21 win over the Giants.
Marcus Mariota completed only 10 passes in total on the day, with Samuel and Terry McLaurin the only players to catch more than one of them, but Samuel's longest gain went for only 18 yards. The veteran wideout has hauled in multiple passes in every game he's played this season, and his 65 receptions through 13 contests are already the second-highest total of his career after his 77 in 2021 with the 49ers. Samuel will look for his first TD since Week 11 in a Week 16 clash with the Eagles.
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Commanders' Deebo Samuel: Suiting up Sunday
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Samuel (illness) is active for Sunday's game at the Giants.
Samuel didn't practice Friday due to an illness and ultimately was deemed questionable for Week 15 action. His lack of inclusion on the Commanders' list of inactives Sunday has cleared him to resume his typical role, which has meant 70-plus percent of the offensive snaps in nine of his 12 appearances this season. Having said that, with top TE Zach Ertz out for the rest of the campaign due to an ACL tear that he suffered last Sunday in Minnesota, Samuel may experience a slight uptick in his usual 6.3 touches per game moving forward.
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Commanders' Deebo Samuel: Sleeper WRs
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Samuel has scored at least 11.1 PPR points in three of his past four games, and he should get a boost in value with Zach Ertz (knee) out. Samuel also has a great matchup against the Giants, who are No. 3 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers. There have been 16 receivers who have scored at least 12.9 PPR points against the Giants, including one in every game this season. Samuel did that in Week 1 against the Giants with seven catches for 77 yards on 10 targets and one carry for 19 yards and a touchdown. I like Terry McLaurin as a No. 2 Fantasy receiver in all leagues, and Samuel is right behind him as a high-end No. 3 receiver.
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Commanders' Deebo Samuel: Misses practice with illness
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Samuel missed Friday's practice due to an illness, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.
Terry McLaurin also was absent, but in his case it was a planned maintenance day. Samuel's absence is somewhat more concerning, though he'll have a couple of days to get healthy before a matchup with the Giants on Sunday. Commanders coach Dan Quinn didn't comment Friday on expectations for Samuel's availability.
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Commanders' Deebo Samuel: WRs to Sit
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Samuel had a respectable 11.1 PPR points in Week 13 against Denver with five catches for 64 yards on seven targets, but he was overshadowed by Terry McLaurin, who returned from his three-game absence with a quadriceps injury and had seven catches for 96 yards and a touchdown on 14 targets for 22.6 PPR points. Samuel has now scored 11.1 PPR points or less in his past three games with McLaurin, and this is a tough matchup for both receivers in Week 14 against the Vikings, who are No. 2 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers. Minnesota has not allowed a receiver to score double digits in PPR in three games in a row against Chicago, Green Bay, and Seattle, and no receiver has scored a touchdown against the Vikings in their past four games. I'll still use McLaurin as a low-end No. 2 Fantasy receiver in the majority of leagues, but Samuel is only worth starting in three-receiver leagues.
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Commanders' Deebo Samuel: Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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Samuel had a respectable 11.1 PPR points in Week 13 against Denver with five catches for 64 yards on seven targets, but he was overshadowed by Terry McLaurin, who returned from his three-game absence with a quadriceps injury and had seven catches for 96 yards and a touchdown on 14 targets for 22.6 PPR points. Samuel has now scored 11.1 PPR points or less in his past three games with McLaurin, and this is a tough matchup for both receivers in Week 14 against the Vikings, who are No. 2 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers. Minnesota has not allowed a receiver to score double digits in PPR in three games in a row against Chicago, Green Bay, and Seattle, and no receiver has scored a touchdown against the Vikings in their past four games. I'll still use McLaurin as a low-end No. 2 Fantasy receiver in the majority of leagues, but Samuel is only worth starting in three-receiver leagues.
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Commanders' Deebo Samuel: WRs to Sit
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Samuel was great in his last game against Miami in Week 11 with seven catches for 74 yards and a touchdown on eight targets, and he scored 20.7 PPR points. But he played that game without Terry McLaurin (quadriceps), who is expected to return in Week 13 against Denver after a three-game absence. Samuel combined for 9.1 PPR points in the past two games he played with McLaurin in Week 3 against Las Vegas and Week 8 at Kansas City. The Broncos also could get Patrick Surtain II (pectoral) back after missing the past three games, and Denver is No. 4 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers. I would only start Samuel in three-receiver leagues in Week 13.
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Commanders' Deebo Samuel: Finds end zone in OT loss
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Samuel caught seven of eight targets for 74 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 16-13 overtime loss to the Dolphins. He added three rushing yards on his only carry.
The veteran wideout scored Washington's only TD of the day on a 20-yard catch-and-run in the third quarter. Samuel has gotten into the end zone in back-to-back games, and he'll take a 53-470-5 line on 68 targets for the season into the Commanders' Week 12 bye. He's also chipped in 52 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
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Commanders' Deebo Samuel: WRs to Sit
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It was good to see Samuel score a touchdown in Week 10 against Detroit, but he only had four catches for 29 yards on five targets in that game. He now has four starts with Marcus Mariota, and Samuel has three games with fewer than 30 receiving yards over that span. This week in Madrid, Samuel is facing a Dolphins secondary that is No. 5 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers. Miami has only allowed two touchdowns to receivers in the past four games, and Samuel will likely have an empty stat line if he doesn't score. I would only use Samuel in three-receiver leagues in Week 11.
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Commanders' Deebo Samuel: Receiving score saves day
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Samuel recorded four receptions on five targets for 29 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 44-22 loss to the Lions.
The Commanders attempted only 22 passes, leaving no pass catcher with more than five targets. That limited the upside for any individual player, though Samuel was even more limited with only short-area targets. He now has fewer than 45 yards in four straight games, with only a four-yard touchdown catch midway through the third quarter saving his performance. Samuel's production is likely to remain volatile so long as Jayden Daniels (shoulder) is sidelined.
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Commanders' Deebo Samuel: WRs to Sit
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Samuel comes into Week 10 against the Lions in a three-game slump, and it's tough to trust him as a starter in the majority of leagues. In his past three games against Chicago, Kansas City and Seattle, Samuel has combined for just 12 catches for 67 yards and no touchdowns on 17 targets, and he scored 9.4 PPR points or less in each outing. Marcus Mariota is starting for the injured Jayden Daniels, and Samuel has scored 4.9 PPR points or less in two of three previous starts with Mariota this season. I would only start Samuel in three-receiver leagues in Week 10.
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Commanders' Deebo Samuel: Modest production in blowout loss
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Samuel recorded five receptions on six targets for 41 yards in Sunday's 38-14 loss to the Seahawks. He added one rush for three yards as well as one kick return for 30 yards.
No Commanders offensive skill-position player had a particularly strong showing in Sunday night's loss, though Samuel did lead the team in both targets and receptions. His most significant contribution was a 19-yard gain that came primarily after the catch late in the third quarter. Samuel may still be slowed by a heel injury, having logged three straight games with 45 yards from scrimmage or fewer. His chance of turning things around moving forward is also complicated by the likely absence of Jayden Daniels (arm).
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Commanders' Deebo Samuel: Minuscule production in return
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Samuel (heel) brought in three of six targets for 11 yards and rushed once for one yard in the Commanders' 28-7 loss to the Chiefs on Monday night.
Samuel's return from a one-game absence did next to nothing to boost the offense, one that was led by QB Marcus Mariota due to Jayden Daniels' (hamstring) absence. The veteran wideout tied a season low in receiving yards, and he has an anemic 7-26-0 line on 11 targets over his last two appearances overall. Samuel could be a primary beneficiary if Daniels is able to return for Sunday night's Week 9 matchup against the Seahawks.
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Commanders' Deebo Samuel: Good to go for Week 8
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Samuel (heel) doesn't have a designation ahead of Monday night's game against the Chiefs.
Samuel was able to play through a heel injury during the Commanders' Week 6 win over the Chargers, but it prevented him from playing against the Cowboys in Week 7. The seventh-year pro was able to string together a full week of practices, and he and fellow wideout Terry McLaurin (quadriceps) will both suit up against Kansas City on Monday. The returns of Samuel and McLaurin will give the Commanders a much-needed boost on offense with Marcus Mariota under center after Jayden Daniels (hamstring) was ruled out for Week 8.
