The fantasy football offseason never fails to give us storylines that come completely full circle.
Just when it looked like San Francisco’s wide receiver room was heading down a very dark – yet familiar – path due to Ricky Pearsall’s lingering knee issues, the 49ers brought back a very familiar face. Deebo Samuel is officially heading back to the Bay Area on a one-year deal worth up to $7 million after spending the 2025 season with the Washington Commanders.
Let’s break down what this reunion means for Deebo’s fantasy value in 2026, how it shifts the pecking order in Kyle Shanahan’s offense, and where you should target him in upcoming drafts.
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The Fantasy Fallout Of Deebo Samuel Rejoining The 49ers
Deebo Samuel
One of the best producers at the WR position that San Francisco has seen in recent years is back! Deebo has returned after a brief stint with the Commanders and he is going to provide an incredible service to a team that desperately needs some stability at the moment.
Ricky Pearsall popped up in the news the other day as he is currently dealing with swelling in his knee due to the PCL injury he suffered in 2025 – more on Pearsall’s outlook in just a moment.
If Pearsall’s injury is indeed significant, this now leaves this WR room very thin and with some massive questions heading into 2026 – especially for a team that wants to compete for a Super Bowl before this window closes.
Mike Evans is a dominant wideout when he’s on the field, but his hamstrings are sure to flare up on him at some point this season. De’Zhaun Stribling shows promise, but he’s still a rookie WR that was certainly raw on film in college.
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The only other WR with proven experience is the veteran Christian Kirk, but he’s also currently dealing with an injury and may miss extended time this training camp.
Samuel’s familiarity with this scheme will be incredibly important for a team that needs a reliable option in the passing game. And, while he’s not the player that he once was, he can still be a player on the fantasy football radar.
It wasn’t a dominant season in Washington last year for Samuel, but there are a lot of factors that we can point to as a potential excuse for that. Jayden Daniels barely played, Kliff Kingsbury’s offense grew stale, and the state of the defense wasn’t making things easier on the offense.
Still, Samuel finished in the top 35 WRs from a Total EPA standpoint and he had moments of fantasy relevance – despite catching passes from Marcus Mariota the majority of the year.
We can’t rank him as a top 30 WR for fantasy football this season, but if Evans misses time this season – which seems inevitable – Samuel could be in the top 24 conversation simply based on volume alone. Otherwise, he’s in the Flex conversation that will be a volatile asset as he battles for targets.
Ricky Pearsall
The upside for Ricky Pearsall is evident. He’s a smooth route-runner that has the ability to create separation at all three levels of the field.
Unfortunately, injuries have been the summation of his career up to this point…and it doesn’t look like that’s going away any time soon.
At the time of writing, Pearsall’s official diagnosis for what’s currently ailing him has not been shared – which would also provide the expected recovery timeline.
The latest rumors are that he could possibly be shut down for the entirety of the season and surgery is an option.
We’ll wait to fully react until we have more concrete news to go off of, but Samuel signing with the team is a pretty strong indicator as to where this is heading. San Francisco needed depth if Pearsall was going to miss time, which meant Samuel made a ton of sense for them to bring back in as he was still on the free agent market.
It would be highly shocking with a move like that being made to find out that Pearsall’s going to just simply rest through training camp and be ready to roll Week 1. We should be bracing ourselves for a truly extended absence here from the third-year wideout.
If we do get news, my rankings here on the website will be adjusted quickly and you’ll have the information you need landing in your inbox if you’re a Substack subscriber!
In the meantime, Pearsall’s off the redraft radar if you’re in early drafts. And be prepared to bump him even further down the dynasty fantasy football rankings if news comes out that he will officially miss the 2026 NFL season.
