The bad news is that the San Francisco 49ers will be without their leading receiver, Deebo Samuel, this weekend against the Seattle Seahawks. The good news is that the receiver isn't dealing with a long-term injury. Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Monday that Samuel should only miss one to two weeks.
Still, Samuel has clearly been the 49ers' most-valuable player this season. On Sunday, he became the first Niners wide receiver to surpass 1,000 receiving yards since Anquan Boldin did so in 2014.
Samuel has also been a crucial part of San Francisco's rushing attack, recording 145 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns over the last two games.
How do you make up for that level of production from one player? The 49ers coach shared his thoughts.
"He's been a big part of our offense," Shanahan said. "But I think we're in a spot right now that we can overcome that. [Brandon] Aiyuk's been stepping it up each week, doing better. You guys see Jauan [Jennings] coming along. I'd love to give Travis Benjamin more opportunities, having his speed out there. And [George] Kittle's getting healthier and better each week. And the running game's been doing well too."
Second-year receiver Jauan Jennings hauled in two receptions for 24 yards and a touchdown against the Vikings. He nearly had a second touchdown in the game but couldn't stay inbounds during the catch.
"Yeah, he's getting his number called more because he got an opportunity when [Mohamed] Sanu got hurt," Shanahan explained. "So, that's [put] him out there a lot more. ... But we believe in Jauan. We've been hoping he would come on and string some more weeks together where he'd stay healthy, and things like that, and get more consistent. And I think that's really been picking up here this last month, and he's definitely taking advantage of his opportunities."
On Sunday, we'll find out if San Francisco has enough weapons to overcome the loss of Samuel and beat the Seahawks, who have won three straight against the 49ers, including an October 3rd matchup this season.
