The San Francisco 49ers may have finally found their answer for their search for a number one receiver. At this point of the season, there are players that are in need of stepping up for the offense. They're currently playing without their star tight end George Kittle and new big name receiver Emmanuel Sanders. Rookie receiver in Deebo Samuel has stepped up over the last two weeks.

He's the first 49ers rookie receiver to have back-to-back 100-yard games since Dave Parks in 1964. Samuel's marks in the last two games have been promising to say the least. With eight catches in each game and 246 yards, he's putting up numbers that the 49ers haven't seen from a receiver in quite some time.

It's especially a breath of fresh air to see someone else step up in a big way and on a consistent basis. There are too many receivers to name that either don't fit the mold of a number one receiver, or are not meeting the standards the offense wants these players to play.

  • Marquise Goodwin: He has not had more than three catches in a game at least once this season. And he's only put together one catch for five yards in the last three games he's played.
  • Dante Pettis: The second-year pro has gone from a promising second-round pick from last year's draft after a strong end of season stretch. It's the tenth week and he only has 11 catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns. Not to mention he's on the hot seat with Kyle Shanahan.
  • Kendrick Bourne: Another one of the more promising young players in the receiver group. However, he has a terrible amount of drops this season. Especially with some notable ones in the Monday Night game against the Seahawks.
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49ers WR Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk with Bills QB Josh Allen and Patriots QB Drake Maye looking.

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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk next to 49ers general manager John Lynch and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. Aiyuk has a speech bubble that says “Fire pick, can’t lie.”

Ben Strauss ·

Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel with blank jerseys and question mark in the middle of both jerseys. NFL Draft logo in the background

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And as Samuel picks up the slack from the rest of these targets, the more it will benefit the 49ers down the stretch this season. He's coming into a situation where he can produce while Kittle and Sanders recover from their respective injuries.

Jimmy Garoppolo is beginning to find his rhythm in the passing game as the run game continues to impress. And with the emergence of a solid long term number one option right before the other best offensive weapons come back, it's only a matter of how much higher this San Francisco offense can go. And it's all because of the impressive play of Deebo Samuel.