Can the San Francisco 49ers wide receiver room take one more hit? It just did. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that wide receiver Deebo Samuel is expected to miss at least a couple of weeks with a hamstring injury he suffered Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle.

Samuel’s injury comes at a rough time for a 49ers offense that has dealt with injuries all season. Still, I think San Francisco is handling this exactly the right way.

The 49ers receiver room is running on fumes

The injury list at wide receiver keeps growing. Ricky Pearsall is out for the season. De’Zhaun Stribling is still out for quite some time. Christian Kirk and DeMarcus Robinson both remain on injured reserve.

That leaves the 49ers with five wide receivers on the active roster. With Deebo Samuel sidelined to injury, that number effectively drops to four: Mike Evans, Jacob Cowling, Brandin Cooks (who they just brought in), and Jordan Watkins.

San Francisco does have some depth to pull from. The team has four wide receivers on its practice squad in Wesley Grimes, Will Pauling, Malik Turner, and Xavier Smith. I expect the 49ers to look at elevating one of those guys for the upcoming games, because four healthy receivers is a thin group for any NFL offense.

Per usual for San Francisco, the next man up is going to have to be ready.

The schedule gives San Francisco a window

The 49ers host the Washington Commanders next Monday night. After that, San Francisco goes on a short week to face the Atlanta Falcons on the road Oct. 25 before heading into its bye week.

Based on what Shanahan said, it sounds like Samuel will not play again until after the bye, when the 49ers host the Las Vegas Raiders on Nov. 8. That makes the most sense to me. The 49ers also seem to be taking a similar approach with fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who suffered an injury in last week’s game against the Denver Broncos.

I think this is the right approach for both players. San Francisco has grown used to playing with injuries all around it this season. At some point, that could certainly catch up with this team. But a home game against the Commanders and a road trip to Atlanta are two very winnable games for the 49ers.

Also, why risk it? Samuel and Juszczyk are both older veterans in this league. Rushing either of them back for a pair of games San Francisco should be able to win without them would be a mistake. A hamstring that gets aggravated early can turn a two-week absence into something much longer. The smarter play is to let both players get healthy, use the bye week as extra recovery time, and have them back for the stretch run.

Samuel’s absence will still be felt

Make no mistake, the 49ers are going to miss Samuel. He did not have a very strong outing against the Seahawks on Sunday, but one quiet game does not erase what he has done for this team. Samuel has been very productive for San Francisco in his return. He is doing a lot of good things for this 49ers offense, and replacing that production with a depleted receiver room is not easy.

That puts more on Evans and Cooks as the true veterans of the group. It also opens the door for Cowling, Watkins, and whichever practice squad receiver gets the call to step up over the next two games. And mind you, Mike Evans is playing with fractured ribs, so it’s not like the guys who are out there are even that healthy. 

Now, this is not ideal. Nobody wants to lose a playmaker in the middle of the season. But the 49ers have the schedule on their side, and Shanahan is giving Deebo Samuel the time he needs to recover from his injury. This is a great move, instead of forcing him back.

I believe San Francisco can win both of these games without Samuel and move to 7-0. If the 49ers hold serve against Washington and Atlanta, they will come out of the bye with a healthier Samuel, a healthier Juszczyk, and a much better shot at a strong second half.