The San Francisco 49ers will be without wide receiver Deebo Samuel for at least one more game as the team has ruled him out for Week 9 Thursday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers. He injured his hamstring in Week 7 and will continue working to get back from the injury, per Nick Wagoner.
Samuel’s absence coupled with George Kittle also out means Brandon Aiyuk could be the center of attention for Nick Mullens and the 49ers offense. Jimmy Garoppolo is sidelined with a high ankle sprain, so the passing game as a whole gets downgraded.
Kendrick Bourne and Trent Taylor will see passes their way, but neither has the kind of upside we see in Aiyuk. Over the past two weeks, he’s caught seven passes of 15 or more yards, which is tied for the NFL lead with Julio Jones and Davante Adams. He’s a playmaker with significant upside.