The Washington Commanders continue to battle uncertainty in their receiving corps as they prepare for Sunday’s crucial matchup with the Chargers. Deebo Samuel Sr. was not spotted at Wednesday’s practice, raising questions about his availability. For fantasy football managers relying on the veteran receiver, what is his current status heading into Week 5?
Deebo Samuel Sr. Injury Update
Samuel was notably absent from Wednesday’s practice session, though no specific injury has been mentioned by the team. His absence comes after he played his usual role as Washington’s primary receiver in last week’s loss to Atlanta, catching six passes for 72 yards and a touchdown.
There were no visible signs of injury during Sunday’s game against the Falcons. Samuel appeared to move normally throughout the contest and finished with his typical workload as the Commanders’ clear WR1 option.
The veteran receiver has a lengthy injury history, having dealt with various ailments throughout his career including pneumonia, calf strains, wrist issues, and shoulder problems during his time in San Francisco. This background makes any practice absence noteworthy for fantasy managers.
However, Wednesday’s absence could simply be a veteran rest day rather than an injury concern. Teams often give veteran players Wednesdays off as routine maintenance, especially at this point in the season when managing workloads.
The Commanders wil release their first official injury report at 4 PM ET, which will provide clarity on Samuel’s status. If he appears on the report with a specific injury designation, it would confirm that his absence was health-related rather than maintenance.
With Terry McLaurin dealing with his ongoing quad injury, Washington desperately needs Samuel healthy for their matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers. His availability becomes even more crucial given the team’s limited receiving depth.
Should Samuel join McLaurin on the sideline, and if Noah Brown cannot return from his groin injury, the Commanders would be looking at Jaylin Lane and Luke McCaffrey as their top two receivers. While Jayden Daniels is expected to return this week, losing both primary receivers would create significant challenges for the offense.
Fantasy managers should monitor the 4 PM injury report closely for any updates on Samuel’s condition. Until then, his Wednesday absence should be viewed with cautious optimism that it represents routine rest rather than a new injury concern.
The team will provide more information throughout the week as they prepare for Sunday’s West Coast trip to face the Chargers.
Samuel Fantasy Outlook
We spent all offseason worrying about Christian McCaffrey’s health, and now he’s the only man standing in San Francisco.
We’ve spent time worried about Deebo Samuel’s style of play and how it would age, but again, he’s the primary option in Washington without medical concerns.
Last week, one that started with reasonable health for the Commanders, Samuel handled the first rush attempt. Throughout the game, we saw the vintage version of him. There was a toe-tap on fourth down early in the second quarter and a fade route touchdown in a “gotta have it” spot in the final period.
Luke McCaffrey saw the first target of Week 4 and seems to be coming into his own a bit, but I’m not too worried about that subtracting from our bottom line here. This is a tough matchup, and that has Samuel sitting at the back-end of my WR2 tier instead of the middle, but I’m comfortable going in this direction, regardless of how the health shakes out around him heading into this game.
— PFSN Fantasy Analyst Kyle Soppe