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Cardinals vs. 49ers: 5 matchups to watch in Week 11 for San Francisco

By Peter Panacy

SANTA CLARA, CA - OCTOBER 07: Alfred Morris #46 of the San Francisco 49ers rushes with the ball against the Arizona Cardinals during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on October 7, 2018 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - OCTOBER 07: Alfred Morris #46 of the San Francisco 49ers rushes with the ball against the Arizona Cardinals during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on October 7, 2018 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images) /
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GLENDALE, ARIZONA – OCTOBER 31: Wide receiver Deebo Samuel #19 of the San Francisco 49ers runs with the football against linebacker Joe Walker #59 of the Arizona Cardinals during the second half of the NFL game at State Farm Stadium on October 31, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. The 49ers defeated the Cardinals 28-25. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – OCTOBER 31: Wide receiver Deebo Samuel #19 of the San Francisco 49ers runs with the football against linebacker Joe Walker #59 of the Arizona Cardinals during the second half of the NFL game at State Farm Stadium on October 31, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. The 49ers defeated the Cardinals 28-25. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

No. 3: Deebo Samuel vs. Cardinals Secondary

Despite having some issues with the drops in Week 10 against the Seahawks, wide receiver Deebo Samuel was still San Francisco’s top receiving option, finishing the contest with an impressive 112 receiving yards on eight receptions.

Like the situation with Tevin Coleman and the running game, Samuel’s potential production against the Cardinals is largely contingent on injuries and availability.

Tight end George Kittle (ankle/knee) is doubtful for the game, while No. 1 wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders is questionable with a ribs injury. Even if Sanders is made available for Sunday’s game, however, Samuel could wind up being the player to watch.

Sanders made the Cardinals’ No. 1 cornerback, Patrick Peterson, look bad back in Week 9. Yet there’s no reason to assume Peterson won’t shadow Sanders again, should the latter suit up.

That opens the door for Samuel to be the shoo-in No. 2 option, in that case, and he could see plenty of one-on-one matchups if Arizona elects to stack the box against San Francisco’s ground attack.

If Samuel is on point and contributing like he did last week, the Cardinals’ 24th-ranked pass defense will be in for a long day.