Will Deebo Samuel Have Over or Under 950.5 Receiving Yards in 2022?

Deebo Samuel was a majestic gazelle in 2021.

What he did to carry the 49ers offense last season was nothing short of stellar. It was easy to see why he earned first-team All Pro honors. Samuel is poised to be a dominant player again in 2022, but living up to the standard he set last season will be difficult. He'll still be great for sure. It's just that I wouldn't expect him to be the carrier of the offense again.

Last season, Samuel carried the offense both as a receiver by having 1,000 receiving yards by midseason and then converting to a running back. When it was all said and done, Samuel had accumulated 1,405 receiving yards. Tallying over 1,000 yards will be in his sights yet again. DraftKings sportsbook has set the over/under at 950.5 receiving yards for Samuel this upcoming season. It is a number that is easily the standard set for him to try and eclipse.

So will Samuel have over or under 950.5 receiving yards in 2022?

Under.

Shocking right? Hear me out. Samuel was literally the driving force of the offense last season. No one else mattered. So long as Samuel was active, the 49ers were going to force feed him and have him lead the team. This year won't see any of that. If the 49ers are still relying on Samuel to be their everything on offense, then that is concerning. They can't put all of their chips on one player.

I still believe Samuel will be the driving force a portion of the time. He just won't be the lead horse that they need each and every game, specifically as a wide receiver. The usage as a running back will cut into his receiving yards just as it did for the second-half of the season last year. Plus, the Trey Lance connection with Samuel has been off. That could be because Samuel hasn't been able to practice with Lance until the last few weeks.

Either way, Lance's favorite target will be Brandon Aiyuk first and foremost. Then I would give the nod to George Kittle after. Do not forget about the dialed up shot plays to Danny Gray, which will make the receiving yards demand out of Samuel light. He'll most likely only see his yards come from short passes that require him to do damage with the ball. I believe Kyle Shanahan will just hand it off to him at that point. Samuel will eventually see his usage as a running back become the majority. I do not trust the health of Elijah Mitchell and Jeff Wilson Jr.

Where do you side with the over/under on Samuel's receiving yards this year?