Should I Pickup Jauan Jennings or Ricky Pearsall? Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 9

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings (hip) and Ricky Pearsall are set for expanded pass-catching roles in their offenses after the team's No. 1 WR, Brandon Aiyuk (knee) tore his ACL and MCL and was declared out for the remainder of the 2024 season.

While Jennings didn't play in Week 8 due to a hip injury, he's expected to return to play in Week 10, after San Fran's Week 9 bye. Pearsall, meanwhile, was targeted four times in last Sunday's matchup with the Dallas Cowboys, catching all four for 38 yards. He also rushed once for a highlight-reel 39 yard gain.

So should you pick up Jennings or Pearsall as waiver pickups ahead of Week 9?

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Jauan Jennings Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Outlook

Of the two, Jennings, who is listed as the second receiver on the depth chart, is the clear favorite to step into a full-time role alongside star WR Deebo Samuel Sr. Samuel will likely be a target hog, and tight end George Kittle seems set to maintain his prominent role in the offense.

Jauan Jennings has been AWESOME in 2024. This feels like this year's Fantasy football league-winner.

Jennings is THIRD in yards per route run:
3.50 - Nico Collins (162 route sample size)
2.87 - Justin Jefferson (185 routes)
2.79 - Jauan Jennings (145 routes) pic.twitter.com/Ydbxn3n5u7

— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) October 21, 2024

It's easy to get carried away in rookie hype, but No. 15 will benefit the most, from a fantasy football perspective, from Aiyuk's injury. Head coach Kyle Shanahan usually prefers to limit the roles of rookies in his offense, and Jennings is the clear second WR to Samuel.

Ricky Pearsall Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Outlook

Pearsall's role wasn't that great even in Jennings' absence, and when the vet returns, it will likely be diminished even further. In addition, the return of star running back Christian McCaffrey, expected to occur in Week 10, will divert targets away from all the pass-catchers. CMC had 83 targets last year.

Can't stop watching Christian McCaffrey making this catch 🤯

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/sDc0JHfVko

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 29, 2019

McCaffrey was considered talented enough by coaching staffs to play wide receiver in the NFL. That's how good of a pass-catcher he is. Shanahan could relegate Pearsall to a minimal role and run the majority of the offense through Kittle, Samuel, Jennings, and his favorite running back, leaving little meat on the bone for the others.

Should I Pickup Jauan Jennings or Ricky Pearsall For Fantasy Football?

Jennings is a fantastic pickup, especially in PPR. It's likely many managers dumped him ahead of his bye week, and this is a perfect time to snag him. He could end up being a regular starter in fantasy lineups for the remainder of the year, and profiles as at least a WR3/FLEX player when he returns.

The rookie, however, is a much more speculative add, and should probably be left as a free agent outside of deeper leagues.

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