Deebo Samuel Sr. Week 5 Outlook - Cardinals at 49ers

By Derek Brown (FantasyPros), Sun, Oct 6th 2024, 12:05pm EDT

If this isn't the Aiyuk breakout game, then it'll be another Samuel smash outing. Samuel is the WR17 in fantasy points per game, rocking along with a 25% target share, 2.47 YPRR, and a 27.3% first-read share. Samuel is tied for second on the team in red zone targets. He's seen his usual rushing usage with four attempts per game and a rushing score. Arizona has utilized Cover 3 or Cover 4 on 60.5% of their defensive snaps. Against these coverages, Samuel has led the way this year with a 31.4% target share, a 36.6% air-yard share, 2.95 YPRR, and a 36% first-read share. The biggest question of this game is, "Does San Francisco lean on their year's Cover 3 and Cover 4 beater or last year's?" It is a coin flip. My gut tells me it is Aiyuk, as this is a wonderful opportunity to get him going, but it could easily be Samuel. Arizona's outside corners have allowed the fourth-highest PPR points per target this season. Samuel will run about 52% of his routes against Sean Murphy-Bunting (90.9% catch rate and 104.2 passer rating) and Starling Thomas (61.5% catch rate and 120.2 passer rating).