The San Francisco 49ers have lost Brandon Aiyuk for the season to a knee injury and the return timetable of do-it-all offensive playmaker Deebo Samuel Sr. is uncertain.
It lines up for a perfect time to return for Jauan Jennings, who missed last week’s Super Bowl rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs due to a hip injury.
Will Jennings be ready for Sunday night’s showdown with the Dallas Cowboys?
Will Jauan Jennings Play in Week 8?
The week didn’t get off to an optimistic start with respect to Jennings’ Week 8 outlook, as 49ers NFL Reporter Cam Inman listed him as one of several members of the team who did not practice Wednesday.
49ers updates from KS
Not practicing today
WR Deebo Samuel (wrist ill)
TE George Kittle (foot)
WR Jauan Jennings (hip)
K Jake Moody (ankle)
DT Kevin Givens (groin)
S George Odum (knee)
Limited
RB Jordan Mason (ankle)
DE Nick Bosa (elbow)
WR Chris Conley (ankle)— Cam Inman (@CamInman) October 23, 2024
The good news is head coach Kyle Shanahan did offer reason for optimism last week when talking about Jennings.
“No, it isn’t long-term,” the 49ers head coach said. “I hope he’ll be ready for next week. He was close this week. Hoping to get him back next week.”
That kind of disclosure from a NFL coach, especially one as seasoned as Shanahan, is a good indication that a return is imminent.
A better indication would be participation in practice, something Jennings will have a chance to do two more times before the 49ers issue their final injury report of the week on Friday afternoon.
Jennings’ return to the lineup will be a big deal to San Francisco. Aside from needing the bodies with starters such as Aiyuk, Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle and Samuel Sr. all out or possibly out, Jennings in his own right is a valuable contributor to the 49ers’ offense. He proved capable of a blow-up fantasy football performance when he posted 11 catches for 175 yards and three touchdowns in Week 3.
Jennings’ Fantasy Analysis
Jennings finished as fantasy’s WR1 after his Week 3 explosion. That performance has bolstered his year-long stats, but he’s been an effective receiver outside that game.
Jennings ranked fourth among wideouts in yards per route run (2.79) heading into Week 7. Even if you remove his Week 3 performance, he still ranked 18th in YPRR at 2.22, well above the league-wide WR average (1.59).
However, Jennings might be a better real-life football player than fantasy weapon. He’s created consistent separation this season while remaining one of the NFL’s best run-blocking wideouts.