49ers' Deebo Samuel Out vs. Rams Because of Hamstring Injury

San Francisco 49ers star wide receiver Deebo Samuel will miss Sunday's game against the NFC West rival Los Angeles Rams due to a hamstring injury, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Samuel is coming off a career year in 2021. He caught 77 passes for 1,405 yards and six touchdowns, and he carried the ball 59 times for 365 yards and eight scores. He earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors for the first time.

He has remained productive in seven games this season, making 32 grabs for 387 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 138 yards and one score on 24 carries.

In the spring, it looked like the South Carolina product would follow fellow wide receivers Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill in engineering an exit from his current team when he requested a trade. Instead, he and the 49ers achieved a lucrative resolution as he signed a three-year, $71.6 million extension.

Retaining Samuel was critical for San Francisco because Trey Lance's injury paved the way for Jimmy Garoppolo's return to the starting role. George Kittle hasn't played a full season since 2018, either, and the trend carried over into 2022 with him missing the start of the year.

Kittle is back healthy and promises to be one of Garoppolo's primary targets Sunday, along with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.

Running back Christian McCaffrey also figures to be a big part of the passing game, while wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud could have the biggest offensive role of his career as well.