The 49ers head to Arizona to finish their regular season against the Cardinals in a division game that doesn’t impact either team’s postseason. Both teams will be shorthanded, and on Wednesday, Deebo Samuel Sr. ($5,700; rib, knee) and George Kittle ($6,000; ankle, hamstring) did not practice. With both veterans battling multiple injuries and Joshua Dobbs ($4,000) replacing Brock Purdy (elbow) at QB, it could be a great spot for rookie Ricky Pearsall ($4,100) to build on his breakout performance last Monday night against the Lions.
Let’s take a look at Pearsall’s sleeper potential this week, as he looks to put an exclamation point on his season.
First, here’s the 49ers update from Wednesday’s practice.
#49ers with a LONG injury list today coming off a Monday game:
DNP: QB Brock Purdy (elbow), DE Leonard Floyd (shoulder), DE Nick Bosa (knee), WR Deebo Samuel (rib/knee), TE George Kittle (ankle/hamstring), CB Deommodore Lenoir (shoulder), OL Spencer Burford (calf), LB Demetrius…
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) January 1, 2025
Ricky Pearsall’s potential
Pearsall was the 49ers first-round NFL Draft pick in last year’s draft with the No. 31 overall pick. The rookie from Florida missed the start of his rookie training camp with a hamstring injury and then had a shoulder injury that sidelined him for the preseason. He was shot in an off-field incident just before the season started in the right side of his chest. He returned to the 49ers’ facility two days later, but he was still out for the first six weeks of the season.
When he made his debut in Week 7, he made a little fantasy noise with 11 catches on 15 targets in his first three games, but then he went quiet with just two catches over his next five games.
With Brandon Aiyuk (knee) out for the year, Pearsall was operating as the third receiver behind Jauan Jennings ($5,800) and Samuel with Kittle also getting plenty of targets. Pearsall wasn’t in the mix until Week 16 when he caught all four of his targets for 37 yards.
He built on that in Monday night’s home game against the Lions with his best game of the year. Pearsall caught 8 of 10 targets for 141 yards and his first NFL touchdown. He finished with 31.7 fantasy points and looked like a receiver that could be a big part of the 49ers future.
Ricky Pearsall against the Lions:
• 8 catches
• 147 total yards
• 7 first downs
• 1 touchdownHere’s a look at his breakout game pic.twitter.com/waH1YQZK1g
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) December 31, 2024
He’ll get another chance to showcase his upside against the Cardinals, but he’ll need to work with backup QB Joshua Dobbs ($4,000), who completed 3-of-4 passes for 35 yards and ran for a seven-yard score in his first work of the season.
The Bottom Line
Pearsall and Dobbs could be an elite DFS value stack if they find room to operate against Arizona. Dobbs brings good rushing potential, and if he focuses on Pearsall, the two could each be elite values. San Francisco is a four-point road underdog, but the Cardinals are also missing key players on both offense and defense.
Even if you don’t stack Dobbs and Pearsall, the rookie receiver is an elite receiver option at just over $4,000, and if either Samuel or Kittle leave him targets, he’ll be an elite fantasy football sleeper in DFS contests like the NFL $2.25M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st].
If you are in a season-long league that uses Week 18, both Dobbs and Pearsall are solid options to start.
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