It’s rare when you see a transformation of the role a veteran player has in an offense take place at midseason, but that is what happened with San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel midstream in the 2021 season.
The decision was made to make Samuel a much more critical part of the 49ers rushing attack as injuries left San Francisco with a lack of able bodies in the run game transformed Samuel’s role and coincided with the turnaround of fortunes for the 49ers.
Below, we look at Deebo Samuel’s 2022 fantasy football average draft position (ADP) and where you should draft him.
Most wide receivers that have been profiled here don’t include rushing stats, but you have to include that with Samuel because, of the 14 touchdowns he scored in 2021, more of them were rushing TDs (8) than receiving TDs (6)
Deebo Samuel’s ADP: 19.17
(ADP data courtesy of MyFantasyLeague.com; last updated at time of this publishing – ADPs continually change as more drafts occur)
Samuel’s tale of 2 seasons vaulted him up among the elite in fantasy scoring last year and his current ADP has him as the 6th-ranked wide receiver and a late 2nd-round draft pick.
His ADP lands him behind fellow 2nd-round wide receivers Davante Adams (Las Vegas Raiders) at 13.34 and Stefon Diggs (Buffalo Bills) at 15.80 and in front of 3rd-round wide receivers CeeDee Lamb (Dallas Cowboys) at 20.21 and Tyreek Hill (Miami Dolphins) at 24.45.
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Deebo Samuel’s 2021 stats
Games: 16
Receptions | Targets: 77 | 121
Receiving yards:1,405
Receiving touchdowns: 6
Carries | rushing yards: 59 | 365
Rushing touchdowns: 8
Where should you draft Samuel?
Samuel is a unique player that has a fantasy skill set no other wide receiver can boast – although several teams are likely going to try to replicate it because theft of ideas is the sincerest form of flattery in the NFL.
Samuel signed a lucrative contract extension over the summer, so he isn’t going anywhere and his role in the offense will likely remain largely the same.
I would be hard-pressed to push him any higher than he is because Adams and Diggs are likely going to targeted a lot more in the passing game, but his dual role as a receiver and runner – especially with unproven QB Trey Lance taking the reigns of the offense – can’t be understated.
Samuel, who averaged 18.2 yards per reception, may have as large a role in San Francisco’s run-heavy offense as any wide receiver in the league. Given the success the 49ers had when they made the philosophical change in the offense to make Samuel the focus of the weekly game plans, don’t expect anything to change that much. If he ends up on your roster, you’ll need to have faith that he can absorb the pounding runners take on a weekly basis because, for the most part, he is breaking new ground for wide receivers.
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