49ers Will be Without Star Receiver for a "Couple Weeks"

Another star player on the 49ers has suffered a calf strain that will hold him out for a "couple weeks" per head coach Kyle Shanahan.

Sep 15, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. (1) runs back a kick against the Minnesota Vikings in the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images / Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

The loss to the Minnesota Vikings is getting worse for the San Francisco 49ers.

Star wide receiver Deebo Samuel sustained a calf strain in the game and is expected to be out for a "couple weeks" according to head coach Kyle Shanahan. It is unclear as to when Samuel injured his calf or if it was a result of the heavy workload through the first two games.

#49ers coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that WR Deebo Samuel has a calf strain and will miss a few weeks. Another star injury for the Niners.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 16, 2024

In any case, calf strains are becoming common theme amongst star players on the 49ers. First it was Christian McCaffrey and now it is Samuel. Hopefully this time the diagnosis is purely a calf strain and not a combination of the Achilles.

Losing Samuel will sting the 49ers. It did so last year when they lost the two games that he was out for. Left tackle Trent Williams was always out of those games, so he surely factored into those losses as well. It'll be interesting to see how the 49ers will operate without Samuel.

He has been heavily featured through the first two games of the season. Samuel tallied 23 touches on offense both as a receiver and as a running back. It makes sense why he got injured since the 49ers were utilizing him so much. Samuel has proven that he can't be a constant bell cow.

His body just doesn't hold up and now he is going to miss a couple of weeks or more. With him out, the pressure intensifies on Brandon Aiyuk. He hasn't been much of an impactful player for the 49ers so far. That is largely due to him barely returning to practice for the 49ers two weeks ago.

Now that he has two weeks of practice and two games in, he should start to look like himself again. But with Samuel out, it will be easier to place attention on Aiyuk. George Kittle will be looked at for more as well as Jauan Jennings. What will really sting the 49ers with Samuel's absence is the running game.

He has been their No. 2 running back behind Jordan Mason. The 49ers haven't trusted rookie Isaac Guerendo yet and probably won't for some time. Who do the 49ers look at now? Bringing someone in like Matt Breida could work since he is familiar. No matter how you look at it, this is a rough start to the season for the 49ers.

It was one thing to be without McCaffrey, but now Samuel as well? Luckily the 49ers don't face any overly threatening opponents in the next few weeks.