Ricky Pearsall Fantasy Overview

2024 Summary

That He Played at All Made It a Good Season

Before we get to any numbers, it was a major victory that Pearsall made it to the field at all.

As you probably already know, Pearsall took a gunshot to the chest in an attempted August robbery. The bullet narrowly missed vital organs, but the recovery kept him out until Week 7.

His return, however, found the rookie jumping into a good-sized role.

Usage & Role

Pearsall played 76.2% of the offensive snaps his first game out. That likely wasn’t the plan, because that game just happened to see both Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel leave early – and found Jauan Jennings inactive with a hip injury.

But Pearsall played 66.6% of the snaps the rest of the way. Aiyuk’s season-ending ACL tear certainly helped create space. But Samuel and Jennings both returned to the field over the ensuing two games.

Pearsall understandably went from 15 targets over his first three appearances to just 13 over his next six games. But he played a role similar to Samuel’s, spending nearly 40% of his pass snaps in the slot and the rest outside.

Production & Fantasy Finishes

Pearsall did reach 4 receptions in five of his 11 games. His 12.9% target share from Week 7 on also didn’t fall too far behind Samuel’s (15.7%) – though Jennings easily beat the rookie (25.1%).

Pearsall particularly enjoyed the season’s final two weeks, which included 18 targets and receiving lines of:

• 8-141-1
• 6-69-1

He added three rushes for 45 yards overall.

Pearsall finished as the WR7 and WR14 in PPR those final two weeks, as well as WR13 in Week 10, his third game. That contest found Samuel and Jennings playing their usual roles.

Efficiency Metrics

George Kittle was the only 49er with 11+ catches to beat Pearsall in Pro Football Reference’s receiving success rate. Had Pearsall garnered enough targets to qualify, he’d have ranked 25th among all WRs in that category.

He finished just seventh among 49ers in yards per route. That’s not shocking, though, given that he trailed Kittle, Jennings, Samuel, and Aiyuk in target share (adjusted for games missed) – with RBs Christian McCaffrey and Isaac Guerendo also ahead in yards per route.

Historical Production & Trends

It’s worth noting that Pearsall also didn’t stand out in yards per route for his final college season. His 2.23 tied for just 61st among 153 FBS wideouts who drew at least 70 targets, according to Pro Football Focus.

Pearsall also tied for just 71st in yards after catch per reception, despite tying for just 82nd in aDOT. He ranked 45th among that group in PFF receiving grade.

Pearsall did showcase his playmaking ability throughout college, though, averaging 15.2 yards per catch across five seasons split between Arizona State and Florida. That included an SEC-leading 20.0 yards per catch in 2022, his first Gators season.

The wideout also carried 21 times for 253 yards (12.0 per rush) and 5 TDs for his career and averaged 11.5 yards per punt return his final season.

2025 Expectations

Projected Role & Competition

The opportunity landscape has changed quite a bit since last summer.

Samuel’s gone. Aiyuk’s still around but recovering from the knee injury and not expected to be ready for the start of the season. That leaves Pearsall vying with Jennings for top-WR status.

Although Jennings impressed and led the team in targets last year, it did take until his fifth season – at age 27 – for the wideout to top 35 catches or 416 yards.

Like Pearsall, Jennings presents inside-outside versatility. He ran from the slot even slightly more (41.6%) than Pearsall did last season.

The Nos. 3 and 4 WR spots should belong to Demarcus Robinson and Jacob Cowing – in either order – as long as Aiyuk’s out. And, of course, we’ll have to see just how close Aiyuk is to full effectiveness once he returns.

Supporting Cast

Brock Purdy remained a solid-to-strong passer in his third season. And the 49ers showed via his large new contract extension this offseason that they believe in Purdy supporting the pass offense for at least the near future.

Kittle, of course, remains a big factor. But he has reached 100 targets in just two of his eight seasons and thus shouldn’t present much of a target drain on the team’s top 2-3 WRs.

McCaffrey’s return figures to siphon some target share, though. The 49ers tied for just 23rd in RB receptions last season after ranking seventh in that category in 2023.

Coaching & Offensive Scheme

Better team success would also likely remove some passing volume. The 49ers’ 55.5% pass rate last season was their highest since 2020. Those also happen to be San Francisco’s last two sub-.500 campaigns.

Volume shouldn’t be a big concern for 49ers WRs, however. HC Kylen Shanahan has historically run one of the league’s most efficient offenses. That has consistently meant elite yards-per-play rates.