DeeboSamuel Sr.

News: 5 days agoSamuel was a full participant in Saturday's training camp practice, his first since signing with the 49ers on Thursday, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

Spin: General manager John Lynch relayed to reporters before Saturday's practice that Samuel is in "really good shape," and the veteran wideout backed up that endorsement with a strong practice Saturday. The addition of Samuel is a timely one, given that Ricky Pearsall is scheduled to undergo season-ending surgery over the next couple of weeks to repair a PCL injury in his right knee. Samuel figures to slide in as the 49ers' WR3 behind Mike Evans and Christian Kirk (calf), with De'Zhaun Stribling (hamstring) also competing for consistent snaps on offense.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Samuel reunited with the 49ers in July after solid yet unspectacular lone season in Washington. The former second-round pick cleared 85 touches and 800 scrimmage yards for the fifth consecutive season and finished 25th among receivers in fantasy points -- his third-career top-30 fantasy campaign. Samuel's role as a short-area target and occasional rusher gets the ball in his hands plenty (he's ranked in the top 15 among WRs in touches and RAC five years in a row), but it doesn't allow him much scoring upside (10 TDs over the last two years, and he's never cleared five end zone targets in one season). Now 30 years old, Samuel figures to resume his role as a short-area playmaker in Kyle Shanahan's highly-efficient offense. He's a fine late-round flier with WR3/flex upside.