49ers will be without injured All-Pro WR for several weeks
The San Francisco 49ers will have a massive hole to fill on their offense for at least the next two weeks.
On Saturday, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan announced that star wideout Deebo Samuel would miss Week 7 and Week 8 with a hairline fracture in his left shoulder.
Speaking with reporters, Shanahan said that initial tests on Samuel's shoulder showed nothing. However, Samuel continued to feel pain, prompting a CT scan, which revealed the fracture.
Shanahan added that the team would reevaluate Samuel after their Week 9 bye, confirming also that placing the All-Pro on injured reserve had yet to be considered.
Without one of their top weapons, the 49ers must rely on tight end George Kittle and receiver Brandon Aiyuk to pick up the slack.
However, for those worried about how quarterback Brock Purdy will fare, he's managed well without Samuel in a small sample size. In three starts that Samuel missed, Purdy completed 54-of-83 passes for 735 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions.
While Purdy has proven capable of producing without Samuel, he isn't the only 49ers star on offense with injury concerns.
All-Pro tackle Trent Williams (ankle) is doubtful for San Francisco's Week 7 contest against the Minnesota Vikings on "Monday Night Football." If Williams can't go, the Niners will turn to 25-year-old Jaylon Moore to fill in.
Moore, a fifth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, has played in 30 regular season games but made only five starts over three seasons. Despite Moore's inexperience, Shannahan said he'll be "ready for the moment" if called upon.
Meanwhile, running back Christian McCaffrey, dealing with an oblique injury, is questionable for Monday. However, McCaffrey practiced in a limited capacity for the first time on Friday, and while failing to give specifics, he said he "felt great" when questioned about his status.
The 5-1 49ers are a banged-up football team right now. Still, they should be able to find a way to get by the 2-4 Vikings on the road and a 3-3 Cincinnati Bengals team still finding itself at home. If so, the bye should offer a chance for the walking wounded to heal up for the second half of the campaign.
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