Should I drop Deebo Samuel? Week 15 Start/Sit advice and fantasy projection for 49ers WR

Deebo Samuel is having a disappointing 2024 fantasy football season with the San Francisco 49ers. He has been one of the best overall wide receivers in recent years, but ranks as just the WR50 entering Week 15, despite already playing in 12 games.

The issue for managers with Samuel on their rosters is that the fantasy playoffs begin this week in most leagues. So there is no more time to be patient with him and hope that he gets back on track at some point this season. This makes him a potential drop candidate from fantasy rosters this week.

Should you drop Deebo Samuel for Week 15 fantasy football?

Deebo Samuel (image credit: getty)

Deebo Samuel has uncharacteristically recorded fewer than 25 receiving yards in each of his past four games. He has also only finished among the top 20 WRs twice this year and has failed to do so in any of his last seven games. Making his struggles even more confusing is that Brandon Aiyuk has been out with an injury, so he has less competition for targets.

Samuel's alarming skid makes him extremely difficult to trust in fantasy lineups for Week 15, and considering the playoffs have started in most leagues, he is a legitimate candidate to be outright dropped from rosters. In leagues where there are options with more upside available on the waiver wire, now is the time to move on from Samuel in favor of one of those players.

Deebo Samuel fantasy outlook for rest of 2024 season

Deebo Samuel has been a reliable fantasy football WR in his career with the San Francisco 49ers. He has finished as the overall WR2 and WR12 in his past two full seasons and appeared to be on his way to another strong year in the early weeks of the 2024 campaign.

The veteran opened the season by finishing among the top 20 weekly WRs three times in his first five games. He has shockingly been unable to do so again in any of his other seven despite Aiyuk being out with an injury. He has even finished as the WR55 or worse six times this year.

Samuel is an elite talent and could flip things around at any point, but he has already turned in a large sample size this year to make him a fade in fantasy football. With the playoffs either underway or right around the corner in all leagues, he can no longer be counted on as a starter.