San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel will be sidelined the next few weeks.
On Monday, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that Samuel will miss ‘a couple weeks’ due to a calf strain that he sustained during the team’s 23-17 Week 2 loss to the Vikings. He had eight catches for 110 receiving yards vs. Minnesota.
The versatile wide receiver currently leads the team in targets (19), receptions (13) and receiving yards (164) through two games.
Samuel’s injury means the 49ers will be without two of their most explosive playmakers for at least the next few weeks.
The 49ers placed running back Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve on Saturday because of lingering calf and Achilles tendon injuries. McCaffrey isn’t eligible for return until Week 6. The two 49ers stars accounted for 3,140 yards from scrimmage and 33 total touchdowns last year.
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‘Always when you lose real good players, it’s always tough. But it happens all over the league and it’s a huge part of this league and a huge part of this game,’ Shanahan said. ‘We’ve got to deal with it.’
San Francisco will certainly miss Samuel and McCaffrey, but they still have 2023 second-team All-Pro WR Brandon Aiyuk and five-time Pro Bowler George Kittle at tight end, plus promising running back Jordan Mason to help carry the load on offense.
The 49ers travel to Los Angeles to take on the Rams in a Week 3 NFC West battle. The Rams are also dealing with their own injury issues. Rams coach Sean McVay announced Monday that WR Cooper Kupp (ankle) will be out “a good amount of time” and he could join WR Puka Nacua (knee) on injured reserve.
The 49ers return home in Week 4 to face the New England Patriots and host the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5.