Deebo Samuel

Samuel re-established himself as one of the best offensive weapons in the NFL in 2023, finding a middle ground between his monstrous breakout in 2021 (1,770 yards from scrimmage, 14 TDS) and a disappointing, injury-riddled 2022 (864 yards, five TDs). Rushing production (225 yards) and 12 total touchdowns allowed him to overcome a modest total of 89 targets, with Samuel being one of four 49ers in the range of 83-to-105 targets. He averaged 6.2 and 2.6 carries in his 14 full games, missing Weeks 7-8 with a shoulder injury and later playing only 20 snaps in a meaningless Week 18 contest. Samuel remained the most difficult wide receiver to tackle in the league, averaging 10.0 yards per target despite an aDOT of only 6.8 yards, thanks to his whopping 8.7 YAC average. Among wide receivers, only Rashee Rice gained a larger percentage of his yards after the catch -- a stat Samuel also ranked Top 5 in the previous two years. The downside, apart from facing considerable target competition from Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey, is that Samuel's brute force means he takes far more hits per touch than a typical WR. He's missed 20.5 percent of regular-season games in his career, and that's a fair rate to expect going forward as he enters his age-28 season. Persistent trade rumors dating back to last year are the other major risk factor, though a move could actually help his fantasy value, depending on the team. The 49ers seem to be preparing for a future without either Samuel or Aiyuk, having spent a first-round pick on Ricky Pearsall and a fourth-rounder on Jacob Cowing.