The departure of Deebo Samuel and the iffy status of Brandon Aiyuk for the start of the season opens up some fresh opportunity in the San Francisco 49ers' offense. It's just a matter or who steps into it, with tight end George Kittle easily bumped up a spot or two in fantasy football rankings and second-year wide receiver Ricky Pearsall clearly in line for a breakout in 2025.
The Niners used two Day 3 draft picks on wide receivers (Jordan Watkins and Junior Bergen), but barring something beyond unforeseen, it's safe to assume they won't be great fantasy needle-movers as rookies.
Without looking, can you guess who led San Francisco in targets last season?
It was wide receiver Jauan Jennings, with 113. He was just behind Kittle with the second-most catches on the team (77), with the second-most receiving yards on the team (975) and six touchdowns.
Regardless of fantasy scoring format (standard, 0.5-point PPR, full PPR), Jennings finished in the high-end WR3 range last season. With Aiyuk out after Week 7 last season, Jennings was in the same range from there (WR3) to the end of the season despite an uptick in targets per game. But he also played at least a 90-percent snap share in seven of eight games from Weeks 10 through 17.
Jennings had some spike weeks last year (see 11 catches for 175 yards and three touchdowns in Week 3) and some down weeks. The two games he missed were Week 7, the game Aiyuk and Samuel were both injured in (Samuel played four snaps), and Week 8.
According to Fantasy Points data (h/t to Josh Shepardson of Fantasy Pros), here are Jennings' rankings among 127 wide receivers with at least 150 routes run last season:
- 35th in air yards share (29.0%)
- Tied for 24th in target share (22.7%)
- Tied for 12th in targets per route run (0.27)
- 24th in first-read percentage (29.3%)
- 13th in yards per route run (2.47)
- Tied for 36th in end zone targets (eight)
- 36th in expected half-PPR points per game (12.6)
- Tied for 20th in expected half-PPR points per route run (0.48)
The deeper data from 2024 lands well, and consistency should be easier to come by for Jennings in 2025.
Jauan Jennings should not be overlooked as a 2025 fantasy asset
Erik Beaston of Bleacher Report did a post-NFL Draft top-25 ranking for fantasy football, followed by noting Jennings as an early sleeper:
"Accumulating 77 catches for 975 yards and six touchdowns, he became one of quarterback Brock Purdy's favorite targets. A receiver with solid hands, the ability to battle top defenders for the ball, and a great blocker when called upon, he is a player with the ability to be a star with the right opportunity."
"He is not going to be a top-tier wide out who dazzles managers with otherworldly numbers, especially with tight end George Kittle still the best receiving option on the squad, but he will get more looks this season than before, especially with Deebo Samuel shipped off to Washington."
"A player with sleeper potential as a No. 2 or 3 on a fantasy depth chart, he could be the type of player who breaks out and proves to be a league-winner for managers wise enough to recognize his potential before their drafts."
Fantasy Pros' latest Expert Consensus Rankings (April 28; 0.5-point PPR scoring) have Jennings at WR40. That's one spot below Aiyuk, who may miss several games to start the season, and five above Pearsall. Jennings overall ranking right now is No. 92 -- a mid-eighth-round pick in 12- team leagues.
Even when the teeth of fantasy draft season is here, Jennings will probably be able to be drafted as a WR4 in 12-team leagues. He'd be in line to become a sell-high on the trade market when Aiyuk is nearing his return to action, but there's WR2 upside that could be sustainable even when Aiyuk is healthy.