49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said WR Deebo Samuel likely has a high-ankle sprain.

The good news is that his ankle is not broken. But if it is indeed a high-ankle sprain, Samuel’s regular season is likely over. It would be a stretch for him to return in Week 18 and, more than likely, the 49ers would rest him for the playoffs. So fortunately it’s not too serious of an injury. But Samuel’s fantasy days for 2022 are just about over.

Early indications are that 49ers WR Deebo Samuel avoided a serious injury against the Buccaneers.

Samuel was carted off after having his ankle twisted but the early looks are that he will be okay. He’ll undergo more tests as a precaution. The 49ers have a short week coming as they play on Thursday against the Seahawks, so he should be considered questionable at best as of now. But fortunately, 49ers fans and Samuel fantasy owners look like they can relax a bit.

49ers WR Deebo Samuel was carted off with a lower-body injury against the Buccaneers.

It’s unreal how bad the 49ers have been hit lately by the injury bug. This is the latest sting. Fortunately, the 49ers have been cruising agains the Bucs, thanks to Brandon Aiyuk and the efforts of Mr. Irrelevant, Brock Purdy. Hopefully the injury isn’t too serious for Samuel, but it didn’t look good with the way he was emotional and his teammates consoling him as he was being carted off.

Deebo Samuel (hamstring) was limited for the second straight practice

Related Players: Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, Jauan Jennings

If Deebo were to miss, it's possible that there's a little more touchdown equity for the receiving corps as well as Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell. Samuel hasn't been used as often in the run game as he was in 2021, but he does have two rushing TDs on the season.

FULL 49ers' injury summary:

No practice:
Arik Armstead (foot/ankle)
Samson Ebukam (quad/Achilles)

Limited:
Jason Verrett (knee)
Dre Greenlaw (calf)

Full:
Deebo Samuel
Jauan Jennings
Kyle Juszczyk
Colton McKivitz*
Azeez Al-Shaair*
Elijah Mitchell*

*No official designation (IR)

Good news for Deebo owners. Samuel missed Week 8 with a hamstring injury which led up to the team's bye in Week 9. The extra rest seems to have helped, and it appears Samuel should be good to go in Week 10.

Deebo Samuel (hamstring) is OUT for Sunday's game against the Rams.

Related Players: Brandon Aiyuk, Jeff Wilson

Deebo being out should open things up for Brandon Aiyuk to become more a focal point of the passing game. There's a chance this allows Jeff Wilson to relieve Christian McCaffrey more often, making the backup a desperation Flex option.

Not practicing today for the 49ers:
* Deebo Samuel (hamstring)
* Kyle Juszczyk (finger)
* Dre Greenlaw (calf)
* Arik Armstead (foot/ankle)
* Jauan Jennings (hamstring)
* Samson Ebukam (Achilles tendinitis)

The Niners have a bye in Week 9 so Samuel's status is worth monitoring in case the team decides to rest him for a couple of weeks.

My guess is that Elijah Mitchell and Christian McCaffrey will be the main runners with Mitchell getting early-down carries and McCaffrey having more of a change-of-pace and third-down role.

Related players: Deebo Samuel

McCaffrey was getting 85 percent of the snaps for Carolina. The author said he can’t imagine the 49ers want his snap counts that high, and the hope seems to be that he and the oft-injured Mitchell will save each other wear and tear. In another question from the mailbag, the author said they could turn to a thunder-and-lightning-and-thunder combination of Samuel, McCaffrey and Mitchell.

Deebo Samuel day-to-day with a hamstring injury

Samuel owners will want to monitor his practice status leading up to Week 8. The Nine play a later game Sunday afternoon so owners will probably need a backup plan at this point. Also keep in mind the 49ers have a bye in Week 9, leading to the possibility of sitting Samuel Week 8 with an extra week of rest.