In a down year for the San Francisco 49ers, Deebo Samuel has gone weeks without a big game.
The wideout is coming off his fourth consecutive contest generating fewer than 25 yards of receiving and fewer than 35 scrimmage yards in each match. He has two 100-plus-yard receiving games in 12 tilts this season.
But don't suggest the receiver is struggling.
"Not struggling at all just not getting the ball!!!!!!!" Samuel wrote on Monday in a since-deleted social media post, adding a shrug emoji.
The receiver is on pace for career lows in receptions per game (3.3) and targets per game (5.33).
Samuel currently sits second on the 49ers with 72 touches, behind only Jordan Mason's 164. For the season, the receiver has 40 catches on 64 targets for 553 yards with one touchdown. He's added 32 rushing attempts for 92 yards and another TD. Samuel is third on the Niners with 49 catches behind Jauan Jennings' 67 and George Kittle's 56 and third in targets.
Samuel's comment could be seen as a complaint about Jennings overtaking him as Brock Purdy's go-to target in big spots, but the 28-year-old insisted in a follow-up post that he's not trying to drag down teammates.
"Just cause I voice my opinions don't mean I'm hating on any of my teammates!! Be Fr," he wrote.
Samuel also reposted a comment praising Jennings as a "dawg."
The Niners are coming off a crucial win over the Chicago Bears. Even if Samuel, who had two catches for 22 yards and five rushes for 13 yards, was an ancillary piece, they'll need the dual-threat playmaker Thursday against division rival Rams. A loss to the Rams would put the Niners playoff probability at zero, per Next Gen Stats.
Samuel did not play in the Niners' Week 3 loss to Los Angeles.
