Previewing Deebo Samuel for Super Bowl DFS

The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers square off in Super Bowl 54 on Sunday, February 2nd. We’ll be breaking down everything you need to know to prepare your daily fantasy football lineups for the big game. We’re starting with a player-by-player preview for the skill position players on the two teams.

Playing in his first year in the NFL, Samuel was drafted 36th overall by the 49ers after playing four years at South Carolina. He really shined in his senior year, making 62 receptions for 882 yards and 11 touchdowns. His best game came against Clemson where he made 10 catches for 210 yards and three touchdowns in a 56-35 loss.

DFS Super Bowl price

DraftKings Captain: $11,400
DraftKings Flex: $7,600
FanDuel: $8,500

DFS opponent position ranking

DraftKings: 5th
FanDuel: 2nd

Season performance

For his rookie year, Samuel made a really nice impression in 15 games with the Niners. Securing 57 receptions, he accounted for 802 yards and three touchdowns. He also served a role in their running game, rushing 14 times for 159 yards and three touchdowns. Even with the acquisition of Emmanuel Sanders, Samuel continued to be a pivotal part of this Niners offense and was a big threat in the red zone with a 22% target share. His receptions and receiving yards were both ranked fourth in the league amongst all rookies.

Playoff performance

After making a lot of noise during the regular season, Samuel has been mostly quiet in the Niners’ two playoff games. Combined, he’s made five catches on nine targets for 88 yards while failing to reach the end zone. He did log 43 rushing yards on two carries against the Packers but otherwise has been essentially a non-factor.

Matchup

Samuel will be tasked with overcoming a very good Chiefs’ secondary that has held opposing receivers to an average of 133 receiving yards per game, which was amongst the lowest in the league. In coverage, Samuel should draw CB Bashaud Breeland, who only allowed a stellar 45% catch rate but an average of 16.6 YPR. Samuel can break off some of those big plays, averaging 14 YPR on his 57 receptions during the regular season.

DFS pricing and analysis

Samuel has a very friendly salary on both DraftKings and FanDuel at $7,600 and $8,500 respectively. While his usage hasn’t been as heavy during the playoffs, I don’t expect the Niners to run over the Chiefs like they just did the Packers, forcing Jimmy Garoppolo to throw more than the eight times he did in the Conference Championship. With a healthy 22% red zone target share and the Niners’ willingness to let him take a couple of rushes per game, Samuel could break out of a mini playoff slump and shine in the SuperBowl. In a game with an over/under projection of 54, the opportunities to score should be high.

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