The San Francisco 49ers will officially have wide receiver Deebo Samuel back in action vs. the New England Patriots in Week 4.
Samuel was not among the team’s inactives after being listed as questionable on Friday’s injury report. A report came out Saturday night that the 2021 All-Pro planned to play. That is now official.
Not suiting up Sunday is safety Talanoa Hufanga who rolled his ankle in practice Thursday. Hufanga returned in Week 3 after recovering from a torn ACL in Week 11 last season. It’s unclear whether rookie Malik Mustapha or veteran George Odum will start in his stead.
Here are the 49ers’ Week 4 inactives:
QB Josh Dobbs (emergency QB)
S Talanoa Hufanga (ankle)
WR Ronnie Bell
OL Ben Bartch
CB Darrell Luter Jr.
Another notable absence from the inactive list is left tackle Trent Williams. He was listed as questionable with a toe injury.
Second-year linebacker Dee Winters was also questionable with an ankle issue. He is suiting up and may see significant time at Will LB in place of De’Vondre Campbell.
It isn’t a huge surprise that Bell is a healthy scratch. He had two drops last week including a crucial one late in the game.
With Samuel healthy there isn’t really a role for Bell. Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings are the top three receivers. Chris Conley is a trusted veteran and special teams contributor, and rookie Jacob Cowing has been fine as a punt returner. Bell is the odd man out with that group healthy.