4 SF 49ers players who must bounce back in Week 5 vs. Dolphins
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: SF 49ers Running Back Jerick McKinnon
Like Jimmy Garoppolo, the SF 49ers should be pretty excited about the prospects of getting their starting running back on the field in Week 5, Raheem Mostert.
Mostert, who has been dealing with a knee injury, was on the field for practice this week and is on track to be given the green light to start against Miami this Sunday. That’s great news, since Mostert adds an element to San Francisco’s ground game that’s been missing for the past two weeks: explosiveness and ability to hit holes that are minute in size.
Given his injury, however, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Kyle Shanahan limit the number of carries Mostert gets over the course of the game, rather putting fellow tailback Jerick McKinnon into a more prominent role in the offensive game plan.
McKinnon wasn’t great last week against the Eagles, rushing for a total of just 54 yards on 14 carries for an average of 3.9 yards per attempt. While McKinnon found the end zone once again, his team-high fourth touchdown of the year, it was clear he wasn’t a true X-factor in Shanahan’s offense.
He’ll need to be something of the sort in Week 5.
Fortunately, the Dolphins defense is nowhere near as imposing against the run as that of Philadelphia. Through four weeks, Miami is allowing opposing rushers to average 4.6 yards per carry, which ranks 22nd in the league.
That should make life a little easier on McKinnon and put him in a position to bounce back nicely.