Deebo Samuel injury: What status means for Week 14 fantasy football

Game day update: Samuel will play on Sunday afternoon against the Cincinnati Bengals, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. This is a big boost for the 49ers offense. Jimmy Garoppolo has generally been better when Samuel is playing, and it stretches the defense to help George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk. Samuel’s groin injury is concerning, but he’s worth starting.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel is listed as questionable on this week’s official injury report. Samuel is dealing with a core injury that kept him out of practice for the first two days of the week. However, he was able to return in a limited role for Friday’s session, according to the official report. His status for Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals is shaping up to be a game-time decision.

Fantasy football impact: Deebo Samuel (groin)

Samuel missed last week’s game with the same injury. The Niners’ No. 2 receiver, he has been seeing a lot of work on the ground lately. In Week 12, his last game, he had six totes for 66 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He’s scored four rushing touchdowns in his last three games. In the passing game, the Niners used Trent Sherfield as their second receiver last week without Samuel, but he only caught two passes on five targets for 16 yards. If Samuel does play this week, the team will likely need him in the backfield again with Elijah Mitchell out.