The next team up in a series that will answer one important 4-EYED fantasy question from each of the 32 clubs in the NFL heading into the 2020 season is the San Francisco 49ers.
Deebo Samuel is looking like he could be healthy enough to start the season. From what I have seen on social media, the dude is craving to be on the field. It probably isn’t the smartest idea for him to play Week 1 and I’m certainly not betting on it.
In 2019, Deebo Samuel caught 57 footballs on 81 targets. He produced 802 yards and three touchdowns while chipping in 159 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. 961 total yards from a rookie isn’t too shabby. Deebo Samuel had more yards from scrimmage than any other 49er’s rookie wide receiver ever last season!
Room to Grow?
If Deebo gets more usage from the slot this season, his upside is tremendous. Last season he saw 93 snaps from the slot while teammates Manny Sanders and Kendrick Bourne saw 175 and 144 snaps respectively. With Sanders, Jordan Matthews, and Marquise Goodwin no longer on the roster, 225 slot snaps are up for grabs for this 49ers wide receiver corps. If Bourne assumes the Sanders role and Deebo picks up the slack, Samuels could be looking at close to 150 slot snaps in 2020. In his limited opportunity from the slot last season, Samuel put up 21 catches, 252 yards, and two touchdowns.
Deebo’s Rookie Year
From Week eight on, Deebo averaged 12.95 FPPG in half-point PPR leagues. No small feat for a 10-week stretch in your rookie year. He saw five or more targets in eight of 15 games and had double-digit targets twice. He caught eight balls and went for over 100 yards in both double-digit target games. He produced three 100-yard games over the final eight weeks of the season.
Over his final eight games last season, Deebo Samuel’s 16-game pace was 70 catches, 1,150 receiving yards, 18 carries, 244 rushing yards, with eight total touchdowns. 1,100 or more receiving yards and 200 plus rushing yards has never been accomplished in a season before by a wide receiver. He was the eighth wide receiver ever to go for more than 800 receiving yards, while also topping 150 rushing yards.
Answering The Question
The big question is certainly health and unfortunately, San Francisco ran the ball on 51.0% of plays in 2019. Their 498 rushing attempts trailed only the Baltimore Ravens. Could this actually be a bonus to Deebo?
In the final five weeks of the 2019 season, Deebo Samuel averaged 24.4 yards per game on the ground. He ended up rushing for 159 yards and 3 touchdowns last season. Including the playoffs, Deebo’s 13.1 yards per rush was best among all players with a minimum of 20 carries. We love running backs who catch, so why not wide receivers who can run? My question was can Deebo produce 1,000 yards. Does it matter how he gets to that mark?
With three 100-yard receiving games in his rookie campaign, Deebo Samuel only looks to get better in his sophomore season as the number one wide receiver in a Kyle Shanahan offense. Deebo was second on the team in receiving yards, only trailing George Kittle. The two accounted for nearly 45% of teams receiving yards in 2019. While George Kittle is certainly the number one target on the field, Deebo will have a huge role carved out in this Kyle Shanahan offense.
Health certainly plays a role in answering this question. Give me 16 games from Deebo Samuel, and I’ll take a 1,000-yard season to the bank all day!
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