According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the San Francisco 49ers are expected to get back wide receiver Jauan Jennings in Week 4. Schefter said both Jauan Jennings (shoulder/ankle) and Ricky Pearsall (knee) are expected to play despite being listed as questionable on the injury report. Despite Jennings’ availability, Schefter said that he is likely to be limited.
Pearsall played in 63 of the 65 snaps last week. Kendrick Bourne played in 47 of those, while Skyy Moore, shockingly enough, was on the field
for 34 of the offensive snaps. The only other receiver the 49ers used was Marquez Valdes-Scantling, at 17 snaps.
Where does Demarcus Robinson fit into the equation? He played with the starters exclusively throughout training camp. It’ll depend on what kind of football shape Robinson is in, but it’s not far-fetched that he takes on Moore’s snaps from last week. Mac Jones, who is also available on Sunday, only targeted Moore and Valdes-Scantling once — the same number of times as fullback Kyle Juszczk.
Kendrick Bourne, who had a strong rapport with Jones due to their time in New England, had five targets last week. Robinson and a hobbled Jennings will eat into those targets and likely snaps.
Jennings’ health will determine his usage. He’s too valuable a blocker to limit to passing downs. Then again, if Jennings is struggling to lift his shoulder, it might make sense for San Francisco to only use him on “Third and Jauan” plays. If Jennings can only play 15-20 snaps, it’s still a boost for the Niners’ passing game.
The same is true for Robinson, regardless of the number of snaps he plays. If the 49ers can find a way to get Robinson on the field 50 percent of the time with a few targets, that’s a win. He’ll likely be WR2 for as long as Brandon Aiyuk remains out, even with Jennings in the lineup. Robinson looks to be a good fit in this offense. It’s just a matter of how long it’ll take for him to get there after missing three games.
