Ricky

Pearsall

The Rams considered an in-house suspension for Robinson after his DUI arrest in November, but ultimately decided to let him play. The Athletic’s Matt Barrows believes Robinson could be suspended for the first three games of the season, with Lynch saying “there’s an opportunity that he may miss some time.” With Brandon Aiyuk also expected to be taking the slow road back from ACL surgery, it’s possible that Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall could have huge early workloads for the 49ers in 2025.

Aiyuk tore his MCL and ACL in late October, and it is likely that he’ll start training camp on the PUP list as he recovers. Wagoner brings up Aiyuk in the context of a Deebo Samuel trade, noting that the 49ers would likely search for a “midlevel veteran free agent” to “provide stability until Aiyuk is ready to return.” Those sure sound like pretty strong hints that we shouldn’t take it for granted that Aiyuk will be ready for Week 1. It’s too early to speculate about how the 49ers fantasy football production will play out before free agency and the draft, but assuming things stay mostly the same, this would boost Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall’s value early in the year.

Pearsall closed the season with his third best overall outing of the year, no small feat since it was backup Josh Dobbs under center. The No. 31 overall pick now heads into the winter with 16 grabs for 210 yards and two touchdowns over his final two appearances. Awesome stuff, though it’s obviously a bit concerning that represents more than half of Pearsall’s 2024 production. It’s still very encouraging to see the 24-year-old step up with the 49ers battling injury and uncertainty in their skill corps, including under center. We must now play the waiting game as we look to assess Pearsall’s 2025 prospects. When will Brandon Aiyuk be back from his knee injury? Will Deebo Samuel be back at all? How much are the 49ers buying into Jauan Jennings’ late-career breakout? Those variables make Pearsall a bit of a shaky bet in the top 36 in terms of re-draft, but he’s on a little more solid ground in dynasty.

Pearsall was added to the injury report with the pair of issues on Wednesday but participated in all three sessions. He was upgraded to a full practice on Friday. Coming off a breakout performance of 141 yards and a touchdown, Pearsall will look to close his tumultuous rookie season on a high note versus Arizona.

The rookie wideout has been limited in both practice sessions ahead of Week 18 against the Cardinals. Pearsall hauled in eight passes and scored a touchdown in the loss to the Lions, and if he’s able to go, he may be the top target for Joshua Dobbs with Brock Purdy (elbow) unable to play.

Pearsall is on track to play this week and the 49ers would surely like to get another look at him despite the lost 6-10 season. George Kittle (ankle/hamstring) and Deebo Samuel Sr. (ribs/wrist) are both banged up right now so Pearsall could operate as the passing game’s focal point.

Pearsall served as the team’s top option through the air throughout, scoring his touchdown on the team’s first possession on a three-yard strike from Brock Purdy. He would then see consistent usage the rest of the way en route to a career-high game, which coincided with a career-high night from Purdy in pass yards with 377. Pearsall could see one more game of featured usage in Week 18 against the Cardinals, although it could come with Joshua Dobbs throwing him the football after Purdy went down with an injury to his throwing arm with under a minute left to play against the Lions.

Pearsall continued to run as the team’s third receiver in this game behind Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings. The team did, however, make it a point to get him the ball more often when he was out there. Pearsall tied his season-high in receptions which came all the way back in Week 10. He isn’t on the fantasy radar heading into Week 17, but an increased role could help him build momentum heading into his first full offseason in San Francisco.

Pearsall is simply not a fantasy-relevant member of the 49ers’ offense. He can be stashed on deep-league benches if the waiver wire is thin but it is not necessary to hold onto him if superior options are available.

The injury occurred when Pearsall engaged a Packers defender on a block. Pearsall was easily spun out of the defender’s way, worryingly pivoting on his planted right foot in a potential eversion manner. He quickly dropped to the ground during the play and attempted to protect his right leg. Pearsall left the field under his own power and was greeted by the training staff on the sidelines, who helped him take the weight off of his injured right leg.