49ers WR Deebo Samuel is questionable to return with a shoulder injury.

Samuel is in the locker room after initially going to the medical tent on the sideline. The 49ers have both him and left tackle Trent Williams questionable to return, certainly a ding to their offense. For now, we could see even more of an uptick for Christian McCaffrey -- who scored a touchdown, surprise, surprise -- and Brandon Aiyuk.

For the Sunday night game, Cowboys standout defender Micah Parson (knee) and 49ers standout offensive weapon Deebo Samuel (knee) will both be at less than 100%.

Related Players: Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, Ronnie Bell

As Ian mentions in the video, Samuel did play in Week 4, although it was in an extremely limited role as they sprinkled in a couple of carries. Rapoport expects more for Week 5 but cautions that the team will be careful with his knee injury.

Only two 49ers I did not see participating during early open portion of Thursday’s practice: WRs Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings. Jennings was doing some work on the side. WR Brandon Aiyuk is out of blue no contact jersey. LB Dre Greenlaw also back in the mix.

Related Players: Ronnie Bell, Ray-Ray McCloud

In addition to Bell and McCloud, Tay Martin, Chris Conley and Isaiah Winstead are options the team could pull from their practice squad. We'll keep an eye on all of these injuries heading into Friday's practice, but we could be looking at a very run-heavy approach from the 49ers as 14-point favorites on Sunday.

49ers Monday practice vibes Week 4: Brandon Aiyuk is participating but not seen [is] Deebo Samuel (ribs).

Samuel did return to the game in Week 3 so that's at least some good news for owners monitoring his rib injury. Aiyuk missed Week 3 so it seems like he's trending in the right direction. We'll know more about both players as the week goes on. The Niners host the Cardinals in a later afternoon game in Week 4.

49ers’ WR Brandon Aiyuk, listed as questionable for tonight’s game due to a shoulder injury, is not expected to play vs. the Giants.

Related Players: Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings, Ronnie Bell

The 49ers rarely have their "Big Four" all on the field simultaneously, which is a shame because it's such a fun offense to watch when it's rolling. We can expect a slight uptick in target share for both George Kittle and Deebo Samuel, while it's also likely Christian McCaffrey will get a little more action as a receiver. Though Jauan Jennings had a couple of big plays in the team's Week 2 victory, it's not enough to consider him in fantasy outside of DFS Showdown slates.

Brandon Aiyuk (shoulder) will be, as expected, a game-time decision for 49ers-Giants on TNF, per John Lynch on KNBR

Related Players: Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings, Ronnie Bell

The 49ers rarely have their "Big Four" all on the field simultaneously, which is a shame because it's such a fun offense to watch when it's rolling. We can expect a slight uptick in target share for both George Kittle and Deebo Samuel, while it's also likely Christian McCaffrey will get a little more action as a receiver. Though Jauan Jennings had a couple of big plays in the team's Week 2 victory, it's not enough to consider him in fantasy outside of DFS Showdown slates.

49ers receiver Deebo Samuel was notably self-critical earlier in the offseason when he called his 2022 season “awful” and vowed not to repeat it.

To that end, the receiver worked hard to get into his best shape in years. After playing seven snaps and receiving two touches against the Broncos in Saturday’s preseason game, Samuel noted he can feel a difference.

“I think it’s like a little more to my step,” Samuel said, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com. “Like a little more speed, so it’s a little bit more power. But overall, it felt good to get out there, get a couple of plays [under] my belt to get ready for the season.”

Samuel caught two passes for 39 yards, one of which was a short pass he turned into a 25-yard gain in preseason Week 2. He noted that his lighter playing weight should aid his stamina. With all the targets in San Francisco, many are down on Samuel this year. We rank him 19th among our WRs. In five games with likely starting quarterback Brock Purdy, Samuel led the team in targets (6.8 per game), receptions (4.4), and yards (60), so if he can stay healthy, he should find himself back in the top-20. He averaged 19.7 rushing yards prior to Christian McCaffrey’s arrival, and 15.7 after, so his rushing took a slight hit.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Monday that receiver Deebo Samuel may return to practice this week.

“Deebo, his ankle and knee are making real good progress, still working his way back,” Shanahan said on his conference call, via Jennifer Lee Chan of NBCSportsBayArea.com. “We’ll see how it goes in these next two days with rehab. I think there’s a chance possibly later in the week. We’ll see, though.”

The 49ers have clinched the NFC West but the team doesn't plan to rest any players heading into the playoffs. Still, if Deebo plays, not giving him a full workload at this point of the season would make some sense. Owners will want to keep track of his practice status this week as they head toward the fantasy finals, but he looks like he could be tough to trust in lineups.