Fantasy Upside
Deebo Samuel emerged down the stretch of the 49ers' Super Bowl season, but won't be available to help start another. The promising second-year receiver had surgery in June to repair a broken foot and was expected to miss 12-16 weeks. It's a big blow for a team that figures to contend for the league crown again, and for a player who battled injuries throughout his college career. Samuel proved to be a vital piece in just his first NFL season as All-Pro TE George Kittle was the only Niner posting higher receiving totals. The rookie's 14.1 yards per catch led all 49ers receivers with at least 15 receptions. His contribution in the run game was comparably valuable to the league's No. 2 scoring offense, as he carried the ball 14 times for 159 yards and three touchdowns.
Fantasy Downside
A 12-week rehab would last until early September, while 16 weeks pushes him out until October. Samuel himself believes he will be ready well before that. The second-year pro tweeted that he will be back in 10 weeks, and be better than ever. If only it were that simple. Jones fractures are oftentimes seen as one of the worst possible injuries for a football player to get and GM John Lynch told reporters on Jul. 28 that Samuels is likely to miss some games.
2020 Bottom Line
Given all that, Samuel's progress bears watching before drafting, although this could lead to buy-low situations and offer Dynasty owners looking to deal for him a chance to leverage the injury into a better deal.