49ers’ Deebo Samuel is healthy just in time for Cowboys showdown

As the 49ers prepare for another massive showdown with the Cowboys, one lingering question remains ahead of Sunday: Just how healthy is Deebo Samuel?

It seems like the answer may be pretty close to fully healthy. Samuel has no injury designation for this Sunday’s game. After he had been a limited participant in the two practices earlier this week, Friday was Samuel’s first full practice since before Week 3’s game against the Giants. The receiver suffered injuries to his ribs and his knee in his stellar game against New York.

Those injuries kept Samuel out of two practices last week before he was a limited participant last Friday. He was listed as questionable for the Week 4 matchup with the Cardinals last Sunday and eventually suited up, but he clearly was not 100%.

Whether because of the game plan, Christian McCaffrey’s dominance or his own health, Samuel barely touched the ball last week. FootballGuys’ snap count summary shows that he was 87% for Week 4 (48-of-55 snaps), and he’s been in the 80% range all season.

But unlike the first three weeks, Samuel was not targeted at all against Arizona and touched the ball only three times, all on rush attempts, for a grand total of 6 yards.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Samuel did “a hell of a job” just to get himself physically ready enough to play against the Cardinals and viewed the lack of plays positively in the long run.

“He didn’t get a ton of opportunities, but it ends up being a good thing because hopefully he’s taken care of more from this game, can check out fine and get a little bit better week next week,” Shanahan said after the 35-16 win over Arizona.

But what’s good for the 49ers may not be so welcome by the fantasy football world. Depending on if fantasy leagues use a point-per-reception (PPR) rule, Sunday’s 0.6-point output was either Samuel’s lowest-ever output in his five-year NFL career or second-lowest ever, according to FantasyPros. 

Samuel has had some standout moments against the Cowboys, though, particularly in their first playoff showdown from the 2021 season. That day, Samuel caught three passes for 38 yards and ran the ball 10 times for 72 yards and a rather famous touchdown, when Samuel called for Shanahan to give him the ball — and then ran it 26 yards to the end zone on the next play.

But those numbers have become increasingly normal for Samuel, which is something of a shock after his standout 2021 season. That year, Samuel finished the regular season with 1,405 yards receiving, 365 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns (eight rushing, six receiving).

But since then, the 49ers have added an offensive dynamo in McCaffrey, seen Brandon Aiyuk blossom as a receiver, turned Jauan Jennings into a reliable third-down target, and had George Kittle and Kyle Juszczyk both be as steady as ever. In 2023, McCaffrey has consumed nearly half of the team’s touches (98 of 213). Samuel is second, but way behind McCaffrey, with 28 touches. 

For the 49ers on the field, Samuel’s presence and big-play potential always exist. He’s still incredibly dangerous to opposing defenses, who need to account for him on every play. But with McCaffrey playing like a potential MVP candidate so far, the 49ers are likely to keep feeding him the ball. That means Samuel’s week-by-week production will continue to be a bit of a mystery.