Emmanuel Sanders Injury Update Could Provide Boost for Deebo Samuel's Fantasy Outlook in Week 11

Emmanuel Sanders made a splash in his first two games with the San Francisco 49ers, catching 11 passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns.

He was playing a big role again in Week 10, with four early targets, before going down with a rib injury that sidelined him for the bulk of Monday night's game against the Seattle Seahawks. That injury is now threatening to cost Sanders the 49ers' Week 11 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals.

#49ers coach Kyle Shanahan says WR Emmanuel Sanders has a rib injury and is considered day to day. Shanahan said he will likely be a game time decision.
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) November 12, 2019

Sanders led all San Fransisco wideouts in both target share (24 percent) and air yards (39 percent) in his two full games with the 49ers, something that could open up opportunity for fellow WR Deebo Samuel.

Their Week 11 matchup against the Cardinals is a terrific fantasy play as the Arizona defense has allowed the NFL's second-most passing yards per game this season. If Sanders does sit, Samuel will be a top waiver wire pickup this week.

Week 10 saw Samuel play his highest snap share (83 percent) since Week 1, and he also set season highs in targets (11), receptions (8) and yards (112). He appears to have firmly established himself as the 49ers' No. 2 WR when Sanders plays and would vault into the No. 1 spot if Sanders doesn't. There's also tight end George Kittle's injury to consider as his return could potentially take some volume away from Sanders and/or Samuel.

"The more he doesn't take advantage of his opportunities, the less opportunities he gets." -- #49ers coach Kyle Shanahan on WR Dante Pettis.
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) November 12, 2019

However, this week's matchup is good enough that there's potential for both WRs to be startable fantasy options in Week 11, especially if Kittle sits again. Accounting for both Sanders and Kittle playing, Sanders sits at WR12 while Samuel is WR36 in our Week 11 PPR fantasy football rankings. If Sanders sits, Samuel will move up the rankings into the WR2 range.

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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.