A RUSH JOB
Wilson Jr. best of 49ers’ remaining running backs
How much is enough running back depth? In real-life NFL football or fantasy? You know who probably will admit not having an answer? The San Francisco 49ers.
Everyone they send out to play the position tends to suffer some type of calamity. It is one of the most dangerous jobs in America.
First, Raheem Mostert went down, as he often does. He suffered a knee injury in Week 1, had surgery in October and has been announced as out for the year. The presumed backup was thirdround rookie Trey Sermon. But some preseason boo-boos and poor performance knocked him down the depth chart, leaving the job to sixth-round rookie Elijah Mitchell.
Then Mitchell encountered his own issues. He missed Weeks 3-4 with a shoulder problem, then was out Week 11 with a broken finger. Now, he is likely to miss Sunday’s Week 14 game with a concussion and knee issue.
Sermon had been a spotty fillin when Mitchell was out, but now he is on the IR with an ankle injury. Jeff Wilson Jr. was out much of the early season, but he returned in Week 10 and got 19 carries when Mitchell was out in Week 11. He has been dealing with a knee issue, but has been removed from the injury report.
Trenton Cannon is around, but he has zero touches since Week 2 and is dealing with a concussion. That leaves JaMychal Hasty as the only other traditional option beyond Wilson — if Mitchell sits out, as expected. The other wild card is fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who seems like the only one consistently on the field, even if he isn’t consistently used as a runner or receiver. So let’s assume that Mitchell does not play and the others do. Regardless of which other Niners running backs are active, we like Wilson the best among them. He has some role in the passing game, though not large, and is the most likely of the bunch to get any goal-line carries. In the Week 11 game when Wilson took the lead, Sermon still got 10 carries, or about a third of the work. So we should expect others to be a part of the game plan.
If Cannon and Hasty play, we think the majority of passingdown work would go to Hasty. That isn’t a huge role, however, and Cannon likely would get enough to undermine any seasonal value for Hasty, even in PPR formats. If Cannon is out, Hasty would be a slightly less desperate option.
Juszczyk’s value doesn’t change. He is not going to be the lead back.
He is not going to be heavily involved in either the run or pass game, though might get a touch or two on either front. But he is a threat to score a touchdown, putting him on the DFS radar as a cheap punt option.
That’s your 49ers’ running back situation in all its glory. It isn’t exactly a beacon of hope, but Wilson provides a sliver of light.