Who Should I Start? Deebo Samuel Sr. or Brian Thomas Jr.

Monday, August 10, 4:25 PM

The San Francisco Standard's David Lombardi said on Monday that San Francisco 49ers veteran wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. split the position drill portion of practice between running backs and wide receivers in training camp practice on Monday, which is something he never did in his first stint with the team from 2019 to 2024. Lombardi added that it was a good visualization of "a role that'll be even more versatile than his first time with the team." The 30-year-old has always been versatile, especially in head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense, and his usage with the RBs on Monday was most likely due to all of the team's options at the position being held out due to injuries to begin the week, including star Christian McCaffrey. At this point in his career, the Niners may not want to use Samuel extensively as a runner unless they're desperate for backfield bodies. He's no spring chicken anymore and averaged a career-low 10.1 yards per catch in 16 games with the Washington Commanders in 2025. With Ricky Pearsall (knee) out for the year, Samuel figures to battle for WR3 duties with rookie De'Zhaun Stribling behind Mike Evans and Christian Kirk. Samuel is more exciting in fantasy in his return to the Bay Area, but fantasy managers shouldn't overvalue him as anything more than a low-upside WR4/5 in 2026.