The San Francisco 49ers have clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs and will have a bye in the first round of the postseason, but the team still has one more game left in the regular season—a Week 18 meeting with the Los Angeles Rams.
With that in mind, the question comes up about whether the 49ers might rest players for this week's game against the Rams. The team has already announced that quarterback Brock Purdy won't play this week, but what about players like wide receiver Deebo Samuel?
Read on for analysis of San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel heading into Week 18.
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Deebo Samuel Fantasy Football Outlook
UPDATE: Samuel is officially active for Week 18. However, he's likely to be pulled from the lineup early, so he's a risky DFS and fantasy play.
The San Francisco 49ers have already announced that quarterback Brock Purdy will sit against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, with Sam Darnold taking the helm of the Niners offense.
But while Purdy is sitting, head coach Kyle Shanahan indicated that other key players may play. According to 49ers.com, Shanahan said "Brock is the only guy I know for sure I don't plan on playing" He added that "you can rest seven guys if nobody is hurt, if you get two practice squad guys up. We have at least six guys injured right now, so I only know for sure we can rest one. I went with our starting quarterback."
That quote seems to indicate that players such as wide receiver Deebo Samuel could see the field in Week 18.
Should I Start Deebo Samuel in Week 18?
Just because Deebo Samuel is expected to play doesn't mean he should be in your fantasy lineup. The 49ers don't really have much to play for here, so keeping key players healthy is the most important thing.
Players like Deebo Samuel might see the field, but fantasy managers should not expect a full workload from them in Week 18. Samuel will need to be very productive on his limited touches to have fantasy value this week against the Rams. You should try to avoid playing star players whose Week 18 games are meaningless.
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