Must Watch: Will Deebo Samuel Excel in Fantasy Football this Year?
During his rookie year, Deebo Samuel rewarded fantasy football players by finishing as the 26th wide receiver in NON-PPR scoring. Considering he was a late round draft pick or a waiver wire pick-up, fantasy players were thrilled with his production which included 802 yards and 57 catches. Now that Samuel is locked in as the 49ers top wide receiver in 2020, fantasy football players are expecting an even bigger breakout.
All49ers writer Grant Cohn joined Sports Illustrated’s fantasy analyst Jaime Eisner to predict what fans and fantasy football managers should expect out of the second year playmaker.
Check it out: Cohn spoke with Samuel about his role in the offense in a recent article on All49ers.
Read the full transcript below:
Bill Enright: Fantasy football players want to know if second year forty Niners wide receiver Debo Samuell can follow up his breakout rookie year, an excellent sophomore season without analysis. We go to Jaime Eisner, a fantasy analyst here at Sports Illustrated, and Grant Cohn from All49ers. Fellas, let's play a little game of draft or pass. Grant I'll start with you. When it comes to Deebo Samuel, is really he primary wide receiver in this Niners offense, right?
Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
Grant Cohn: Absolutely, and you know, he might actually become the focal point of the offense ahead of Kidal. And what I mean by that, Kittel will always be the number one target in the passing game. He'll probably have eleven twelve, thirteen hundred yards next season. But if you look at DeBobes rookie year, he struggled the first two seasons, as rookies normally do under Kyle Shanahan, because it's a very complex offense. Debo was still learning where to line up. But the second half of the year he was on pace to have like a thousand yards and 400 rushing yards as well. That's where he has secret value. He's almost like a running back. I think it's possible he can go four thousand yards receiving and five hundred yards rushing next year, which would put him above George Kittle in the Niners pecking order.
Bill Enright: Wow, that'll be impressive if he can get the fifteen hundred combined yards from scrimmage. Jaime, let me go over to you. Fantasy draft or as for the forty nine ers wide receiver, what do you got?
Jaime Eisner: I'm absolutely drafting. I'm I'm surprised not getting more love right now is average 80 piece around pick seventy so late six round early seventh round is the thirty second receiver off the board. I don't get it. Last year from week eight on if you include week seventeen with Emmanuel Sanders in the fold, he was the number eight wide receiver pointed fantasy number twenty on a per game basis.
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We saw his targets jumped from 4.4 in his first handful of games to six targets per game in the last ten in the postseason. All he needs to be is around thirteen fantasy points to be top thirty receiver and he was averaging over fifteen in the back portion of the season. Kyle is gonna get the ball in Deebo Samuel's hands early and often in the running game. In the receiving game. He's absolutely somebody I'd love as my wide receiver. three.
Bill Enright: Where's the love for Deebo? You want this guy on your roster in 2020. Jaime and Grant, great analysis as always. Plenty more draft or pass discussions. You could find it all by going to si.com/fantasy
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