Samuel has MCL and ankle sprains

49ers WR Deebo Samuel suffered an MCL sprain and an ankle sprain in Sunday's win over the Bucs, the team announced on Monday. Samuel is expected to return at some point in the regular season, but we'd prepare for him to miss multiple games. We'll hopefully get a more concrete timeline for Samuel's return before you need to decide whether to release him from fantasy rosters. Jauan Jennings will take over as San Francisco's #2 WR with Samuel out but is unlikely to be a reliable fantasy play at this point in the season. RB Christian McCaffrey, WR Brandon Aiyuk and TE George Kittle are all candidates to pick up extra targets with Samuel out.

49ers WR Deebo Samuel (ankle) upgraded to full practice on Friday and doesn't carry an injury designation for Sunday's NFC Championship game vs. the Eagles. Samuel has been targeted 16 times over the last 2 games with 7 carries as a runner. His high involvement makes him a quality fantasy option again this weekend despite the Eagles' defense ranking as the 10th-toughest matchup in adjusted fantasy points allowed to WRs. It's also worth noting that RB Elijah Mitchell (groin) is listed as questionable for this contest. Samuel could possibly pick up a couple extra carries in the event that Mitchell misses this game.

49ers WR Deebo Samuel (ankle) remained limited in Thursday's practice. He's still not 100% recovered from the high-ankle sprain he suffered in mid-December but is fully expected to play in Sunday's NFC Championship game vs. the Eagles. Samuel has racked up 178 receiving yards and 43 rushing yards over the past 2 weeks.

49ers Deebo Samuel (ankle) practiced in a limited capacity on Wednesday in advance of Sunday's NFC Championship game vs. the Eagles. HC Kyle Shanahan shared that “It’s been there for a little bit," referring to Samuel's ankle ailment, "I think he’ll be alright, but it concerned us enough to not let him go today" at practice. We'll see if the veteran is able to ramp up activity on Thursday. Check back once we learn some more information.

49ers WR Deebo Samuel led the team in receiving with 6 catches on 9 targets for 133 yards and 1 TD in Saturday's Wild Card win vs. the Seahawks. The crafty wideout also handled 3 carries for 22 yards on the ground in the contest. Samuel was seldom used in Week 18 after returning from a 3-game absence due to injury, so it's good to see his body hold up to a more significant workload. It's also worth noting that teammate WR Brandon Aiyuk is the only other 49ers' pass-catcher who logged more than 2 receptions.

49ers WR Deebo Samuel (ankle, knee) practiced fully to end the week and doesn't carry an injury tag in anticipation of Week 18 vs. the Cardinals. We'd be surprised if Samuel saw a full workload coming off a 3-week absence in the game the 49ers should control. But he's always capable of making his fantasy day with 1 big play. As such, consider the veteran a low-end WR3/flex option with some risk.