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 nowhere to be found during Wednesday’s practice session. His mysterious absence came as a shock considering he functioned as Washington’s primary offensive weapon in last week’s loss to Atlanta, securing six receptions for 72 yards and finding the end zone.
Last Sunday’s performance against the Falcons revealed no signs of physical limitations. Samuel operated with his typical explosiveness throughout the game and handled his usual workload as the Commanders’ undisputed top receiving target without any visible restrictions.
The experienced pass-catcher brings a concerning medical history from his professional career, having fought through various health issues including pneumonia, calf injuries, wrist complications, and shoulder problems during his San Francisco days. This injury background makes any missed practice worth monitoring closely for fantasy managers.
Initially, Wednesday’s absence could have been explained as standard veteran rest rather than a health-related issue. Teams routinely give veteran players Wednesdays off as part of load management protocols, especially during this portion of the season when preserving player health becomes paramount.
Washington’s initial injury report confirmed Samuel is battling a heel injury. This revelation established that his practice absence was indeed medical rather than simple maintenance.
Early reports suggested Samuel had returned to practice on Thursday. However, he merely worked separately on an adjacent field. The official report listed him as DNP for the second consecutive day.
Samuel did travel with the team to Los Angeles for Sunday’s game, unlike Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown who remained in Washington. This suggests Samuel retains a realistic chance of playing despite missing two practice sessions.
With McLaurin continuing to battle his persistent quad injury and Brown sidelined with groin and knee issues, Washington absolutely needs Samuel available for their matchup with the Chargers. His presence becomes even more vital given the team’s limited receiving depth chart.
Should Samuel be forced to join McLaurin and Brown on the sideline, the Commanders would depend heavily on Jaylin Lane and Luke McCaffrey as their featured receiving options. Although Jayden Daniels is expected to return this week, losing both primary targets would create significant challenges for the offense.
Friday’s practice participation will determine Samuel’s final injury designation, but head coach Dan Quinn said the veteran receiver is “good to go.”
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