The 49ers are already without Christian McCaffrey, who was placed on IR last week with a calf strain and Achilles tendonitis. Now they’re down another weapon as Deebo Samuel suffered a calf strain of his own in San Francisco’s loss to the Vikings. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said he expects the wide receiver to miss a couple of weeks.
The versatile Samuel had been terrific early in the year. He had five receptions" target catches for 54 yards and eight carries for 23 yards and a touchdown in Week 1’s win over the Jets and followed that up by catching eight passes for 110 yards against Minnesota. He ranks 10th in both receptions (13) and receiving yards (164) through two weeks.
San Francisco will count on Jauan Jennings to step up in Samuel's absence. He's been solid for the 49ers in the past and has caught seven passes for 101 yards thus far. Five of his catches have gone for a first down. Meanwhile, San Francisco might get Ricky Pearsall back in Week 5 after sustaining a gunshot wound to the chest a week before the season started.
Additionally, despite losing a pair of big-time playmakers, San Francisco still boasts several elite weapons. Brandon Aiyuk had 75 catches for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns last season for the 49ers. That being said, he’s off to a relatively slow start this year, catching only six passes for 71 yards. Meanwhile, George Kittle ranks 13th in receptions this season with 11 catches on 13 targets for 116 yards and a touchdown.
Finally, Jordan Mason stepped up big-time in McCaffrey’s absence, ranking second in the NFL with 247 rushing yards through two games. He’s turned into a workhorse, carrying the ball 28 times for 147 yards and a touchdown in Week 1 and 20 times for 100 for a TD in Sunday’s loss.
Samuel is the second major wideout to suffer a Week 2 injury. The Rams’ Cooper Kupp hurt his ankle Sunday against the Cardinals and will miss some time. The 49ers and Rams face off Sunday with San Francisco looking to improve its record to 2-1 while Los Angeles hopes to avoid an 0-3 start. Samuel's injury news moved the line a half-point from 49ers -8 to -7.5.
