The San Francisco 49ers, who entered the season as one of the NFL’s top title hopefuls, appear to be held together with band-aids and glue.
WR Brandon Aiyuk is out for the year with a torn ACL, fellow wideout Jauan Jennings will miss Week 8 with a hip injury, and receiver Deebo Samuel is questionable due to illness having just spent two days in the hospital with pneumonia. Tight end George Kittle is also questionable for Week 8 with a foot issue, while star running back Christian McCaffrey remains sidelined with a lingering Achilles ailment.
The Niners’ injury luck is unbelievably poor thus far. With a banged-up cast of offensive weapons, San Francisco’s first-round pick suddenly finds himself in position to play a major role as a rookie. Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall might be in one of the most intriguing situations around the league.
Analysis
How did he get here?
Pearsall really wasn’t meant to see significant usage in year one. The former Florida Gator was selected with the 31st pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and joined a loaded group of pass-catchers in San Francisco. The idea was that he could learn for a year behind the likes of Samuel, Aiyuk, and Jennings before assuming a larger role in year two.
He wouldn’t be in line for a starting job without the injuries to his teammates, but it’s even more shocking that Pearsall will be playing at all. His success story is a wild one — Pearsall was shot in an attempted robbery before the season began. Thankfully, he made a full recovery and even debuted for the 49ers in Week 7. During that contest, Pearsall played 76% of offensive snaps and caught three-of-five targets for 21 yards.
First-round talent
His pre-draft prospect grade of 6.32 projects Pearsall as an eventual plus starter. He ranked eighth of all receivers in athleticism score at the Draft Combine with a 4.41 40-yard dash and 42-inch vertical jump. He possesses the necessary athletic traits to succeed at the NFL level, clearly.
However, Pearsall was lacking in college production compared to his peers. After three years at Arizona State, he transferred to Florida. In 2022, he posted 33 catches for 661 yards and five receiving touchdowns, plus eight rushes for 113 yards and an additional score. During his final year of NCAA ball, Pearsall tallied 65 receptions for 965 yards and four TDs, plus another 62 yards and two scores on the ground.
Again, Pearsall has the athleticism to be a productive NFL receiver. He’s just not a particularly developed route runner yet. Keep in mind though, he was a first-round pick by a team which has been in contention year in and year out — if they didn’t believe in his abilities, the 49ers wouldn’t have picked him. With that said, Pearsall could be in line for significant snaps moving forward in the WR3 role for the Niners, which would certainly help his development in the long term, too.
The bottom line
With Aiyuk done for the season and Jennings ruled out for Week 8, Pearsall immediately steps in as the Niners’ third pass-catcher behind Samuel and Kittle. If the latter two are active, Pearsall could flirt with FLEX potential. There’s definitely worse options out there, so don’t be afraid to fire him up in lineups.
If one of (or both) Samuel and Kittle miss Week 8, Pearsall’s upside increases exponentially. He’s raw, but could have a shockingly large role catching passes from Brock Purdy, and although the Niners have struggled in real life, it’s still not a half-bad offense for fantasy football purposes. He’s a start this week.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL $2.75M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st].
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information
