No. 1: 49ers Wide Receiver Deebo Samuel
Well, when you’re a league leader in a very high-profile category a quarter of the way through the regular season, you deserve to be No. 1 on this kind of list.
Such is the case for wide receiver Deebo Samuel, whose 490 receiving yards are most by any pass-catcher in the NFL to date. Should Samuel continue that torrid pace, he’d wrap up the year with 2,083 receiving yards.
OK, that might not be sustainable. But considering the last time the 49ers had a 1,000-yard wide receiver was with Anquan Boldin back in 2014, and the last time a Niners wideout reached 1,300 receiving yards was Hall of Famer Terrell Owens, Samuel’s start to the year has been nothing short of remarkable.
Granted, San Francisco isn’t getting the receiving production out of other options like fellow wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Yet Samuel is making up for it, also landing on Pro Football Focus’ first-quarter All-Pro team.
As long as Samuel stays healthy, he should be more than capable of helping Jimmy Garoppolo maintain whatever prowess under center he has remaining.
Or, just as likely, Samuel assists rookie quarterback Trey Lance’s evolution into a full-time starter.