Deebo Samuel start or sit: Week 12 fantasy football advice

The San Francisco 49ers welcome the New Orleans Saints to town in Week 12 and we likely won’t know Deebo Samuel’s game status until later Sunday morning. Samuel is dealing with a hamstring injury and is questionable for the game after limited practice all week. He missed Week 8 with a hamstring injury, but head coach Kyle Shanahan has said this is a different injury.

Fantasy Football analysis: 49ers WR Deebo Samuel

Samuel had his second best fantasy performance of the year last week against the Cardinals. He caught seven receptions for 57 and added 37 rushing yards and a score to finish with 22.4 points. He is averaging 14.4 points per game and ranks 21st among wide receivers in total points in spite of missing the Week 8 game due to injury. His performances are in WR2 territory but he still has upside.

He faces a Saints defense that ranks 19th in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers. The bigger question though is his injury status. The 49ers don’t play until 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday, so if we don’t get a positive report from Ian Rapoport or Adam Schefter Sunday morning, fantasy managers might be stuck when making 1 p.m. roster decisions.

Start or sit in Week 12?

If there’s nothing firm by the 1 p.m. kickoffs, start Samuel in your flex spot so you’ve got some flexibility if he ends up inactive when the 49ers announce their inactives at 2:55 p.m.