Career Contextualization
To say Deebo Samuel broke out in 2021 is accurate, but that’s probably underselling his performance. Samuel exploded onto the scene last season, finishing as the WR2 in half-PPR formats thanks to his receiving and rushing abilities.
Samuel is a wide receiver who runs like a running back. He’s a bull in the open field and isn’t afraid of contact. The 49ers knew this and treated Samuel as a real-life swiss army knife. Samuel was used often out of the backfield and finished his third season with 77 receptions for 1,405 yards and six touchdowns. Additionally, he had 59 carries for 365 yards and eight rushing scores. If you had Samuel on your team in 2021, he likely was your team’s MVP.
Durability is still somewhat of a concern for Samuel. He only missed one game in 2021 but was nicked up throughout the season. Conversely, he missed nine games in 2020.
Current Situation
Samuel’s current situation is a little murky at the moment, as he could be in a contract dispute with San Francisco. And like any disgruntled athlete, Samuel wiped away all affiliation with the 49ers from his social media accounts. For those who aren’t well-versed in the world of disgruntled communication from millennials, this is a clear sign that Samuel is unhappy with the organization and perhaps wants out of the Bay Area.
Career Contextualization
To say Deebo Samuel broke out in 2021 is accurate, but that’s probably underselling his performance. Samuel exploded onto the scene last season, finishing as the WR2 in half-PPR formats thanks to his receiving and rushing abilities.
Samuel is a wide receiver who runs like a running back. He’s a bull in the open field and isn’t afraid of contact. The 49ers knew this and treated Samuel as a real-life swiss army knife. Samuel was used often out of the backfield and finished his third season with 77 receptions for 1,405 yards and six touchdowns. Additionally, he had 59 carries for 365 yards and eight rushing scores. If you had Samuel on your team in 2021, he likely was your team’s MVP.
Durability is still somewhat of a concern for Samuel. He only missed one game in 2021 but was nicked up throughout the season. Conversely, he missed nine games in 2020.
Current Situation
Samuel’s current situation is a little murky at the moment, as he could be in a contract dispute with San Francisco. And like any disgruntled athlete, Samuel wiped away all affiliation with the 49ers from his social media accounts. For those who aren’t well-versed in the world of disgruntled communication from millennials, this is a clear sign that Samuel is unhappy with the organization and perhaps wants out of the Bay Area.
San Francisco surely wants to lock up their dynamic wideout. But with Jimmy Garoppolo still unexpectedly on the roster, the 49ers are a little strapped from a cap perspective.
Assuming the contract situation gets resolved, Samuel’s on-field situation is still pretty good. George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk will still take up a good chunk of the target share. But Samuel’s ability to run the ball gives him a higher floor from a touches standpoint.
Of course, the big “if” right now is quarterback Trey Lance, who will likely take the reins in 2022. Lance has plenty of talent as a dual-threat passer, but he’ll need to improve significantly on his accuracy in his sophomore year.
Interestingly, in the two games Lance started last year, Samuel put up two of his worst games of the season. In those two contests, Samuel combined to catch just six passes for 121 yards and eight rushes for 32 yards and one score.
General Prediction for 2022 and Rest of Career
Deebo Samuel is fantastic and an extremely fun player to watch. But does it get any better than the 2021 season? I’m willing to bet it doesn’t. Samuel is a really good player, and his ability to produce as a runner and receiver gives him a solid weekly floor. However, opponents won’t be surprised by him in 2022. Plus, Lance is hardly a given based on what we saw from him as a rookie.
This is not an urgent plea to get rid of Samuel. He’s a WR1 for me in 2022, and I’m perfectly content with holding him. I’m just suggesting that Samuel likely reached his peak in 2021. So now might be the perfect time to sell when his value’s highest, especially given his contract situation.
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