San Francisco's wide receiver Deebo Samuel has been on a roll to open his third season in the NFL. Heading into Week 4, Samuel was second in the league in receiving yards, and through the afternoon's slate of games, appears to remain among the top leading receivers in the NFL.
Coming off the heels of the 49ers Week 4 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Samuel caught eight receptions from Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance for a total of 156 yards and two touchdowns. His first score came on a toss from Lance where Seattle defenders left the receiver wide open for a 76-yard touchdown. The second was an 8-yard reception from the rookie quarterback where he muscled his way into the end zone for the score.
Per Jeff Deeney of Pro Football Focus, 49ers quarterbacks have a 130.1 passer rating when targeting the wideout this season. His 274 total yards after catch this season ranks first in the NFL entering Sunday Night Football, per Next Gen Stats.
His 156-yard performance marks his third-straight game recording 100-plus receiving yards against the Seahawks. He recorded 112 yards in Week 9 of 2019 and 102 in the season finale (Samuel was inactive in both meetings in 2020).
Samuel now has 490 yards on the season and three scores. He has registered the second-most receiving yards in Week 4, trailing only Kansas City Chiefs wideout Tyreek Hill (186 yards). His 490 receiving yards this season are the second-most through four games in 49ers history behind Jerry Rice in 1995 (522), per ESPN Stats & Info. As it stands, Samuel currently leads the NFL in receiving yards through four weeks.
