49ers Deebo Samuel, George Kittle Both Expected to Play Week 8

The San Francisco 49ers will reportedly put both wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. and tight end George Kittle on the field today, despite both officially remaining “questionable” on the injury list.

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reports that “#49ers WR Deebo Samuel (wrist/illness) and TE George Kittle (foot) — both of whom are questionable — are expected to play today, sources say.”

The 49ers are currently favored to win their match-up against the Dallas Cowboys today, even without star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Aiyuk suffered a torn ACL and MCL in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs when he was hit by safety Chamarri Conner in the last minute of the second quarter. The wide receiver is expected to sit out the rest of the season and the 49ers ended up losing the game.

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It did not look great for the 49ers to also be down Samuel and Kittle, so having the players return against the Cowboys will be a desperately needed boost.

Pro Bowl player and first-team All-American Samuel was recently reported to suffer from a “pneumonia-like” illness and was hospitalized due to the fluid in his lungs. The player was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday and presumably will be back up to full power against Dallas today. So far this season, Samuel has recorded 20 receptions for 335 yards, along with 51 rushing yards, totaling two touchdowns (one receiving, one rushing).

Kittle, who has been selected for the Pro Bowl twice, was reported to have a foot injury and was being considered “day by day” by head coach Kyle Shanahan.

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The tight end has frequently appeared on the injury report this season and, this week was dealing with a foot issue that kept him from practicing on Wednesday and resulted in limited participation over the next two days. Apparently, he will be well enough to play the Cowboys. This season, he has recorded 34 receptions for 375 yards and five touchdowns.

In addition to Aiyuk, the 49ers will be short wide receiver Jauan Jennings, defensive linesman Kevin Givens, and kicker Jake Moody. At this point in the season, San Francisco is currently at 3-4, so they could use a boost of any kind, even if it just means having fewer players injured this time around.