Any predictions on which 49er receiver will rack up the most fantasy points in the second half of the season? That was the question I asked myself while sitting down last night to write this. A case could be made for any of the "Big Four." And that's a problem when trying to figure out how to rank each of them.
Ricky Pearsall leads the way (value-wise) with a WR40 ADP. He wrapped up his rookie campaign with two big outings: 8-141-1 line and a 6-69-1 line. He shared the field with Deebo Samuel in the first game and, impressively, Jauan Jennings and George Kittle in both games. A back-end 2024 first-round draft pick and San Francisco's only healthy starting wideout, Pearsall could consistently help managers despite going (on average) in the eighth round of 12-team leagues.
But will it last? Because after serving as the team's fifth wheel for three years, Jennings (WR46 ADP) broke through last season while leading the squad in targets. This is the same Jennings who five years ago was clocked in the 40-yard dash at an anemic 4.72. The same player who was drafted in the seventh round. The same player who didn't even see the field in his first year out of college.
However, he also hasn't practiced for weeks while dealing with a calf injury and pushing for a new contract. Now he reportedly wants to be traded if a deal doesn't get done. His September could be rocky. But what about the second half of the season? If healthy, he could push Pearsall for the #1 role.
Then there's Brandon Aiyuk (WR52 ADP), who might be indirectly responsible for the Jennings-49ers contract standoff. Aiyuk wanted to get paid last summer and eventually came away with $76 million guaranteed. This franchise has to feel a little burned, or at least wary of paying a 28-year-old with only one good season under his belt. One year earlier, he was the WR14 on only 105 targets. Among the top 24 fantasy WRs, only teammate Deebo Samuel had fewer looks. Doing so much with (relatively) so little was a good sign for those investing in Aiyuk. But injuries and sub-par play made it a forgettable campaign. This year he'll miss at least the first four weeks. When he returns, which Aiyuk will we see?
And we can't leave out the almost 32-year-old George Kittle. He just accrued his most receiving yards since 2018. In the red zone, he also enjoyed 18 catches (up from nine last year) for eight TDs (up from six) on 21 targets (up from 13). Plus, Christian McCaffrey was mostly absent, paving the way for a larger target share for Kittle.
So if we think about our roster not for Week 1, but for late in the regular season and the fantasy playoffs, which receiver will be #1? I get that Kittle has the best positional value at tight end. But based purely on second-half fantasy points, there doesn't seem to be a clear-cut top guy. And that makes me want to throw in the towel and leave those decisions to my opponents.
---