Who Should I Start? Jauan Jennings or Chase Brown

Thursday, July 31, 3:48 PM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings (calf) is missing a third consecutive practice on Thursday due to a calf strain. According to head coach Kyle Shanahan, Jennings is dealing with the same calf issue that bothered him earlier in the offseason. While his absence is not ideal, the veteran and the organization are going to be cautious at this point in the training camp with another month and change to go before Week 1 of the regular season. The former seventh-round pick out of Tennessee is also reportedly seeking a new contract, so he's unlikely to risk further injury while he awaits a new deal. Jennings posted nearly 1,000 receiving yards a season ago, and he could open the 2025 campaign as the clear WR1 in San Francisco after the departure of Deebo Samuel Sr. Brandon Aiyuk (knee) is a candidate to go on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list to begin the regular season, which would force him to miss at least the first four games.

Friday, July 25, 1:17 PM

Yahoo Sports' Jori Epstein reports that Cincinnati Bengals coaches and players have been very high on running back Chase Brown this summer. "I think Chase Brown is going to, by the end of the season, be a household name," offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said. "He's everything that Austin Ekeler was. I think that by the time the season's over, [you'll all] know who he is." Pitcher has also said the Brown will be a focal point of the offense this year, which seems like a good idea after he ran for 990 yards and seven touchdowns on 229 carries in 16 regular-season games (10 starts) in 2024. He also caught 54 of his 65 targets for 360 yards and four touchdowns, proving he can really do it all. Brown had at least 50 snaps and 15 touches in each of his last eight games. The Bengals could look to spell him when they need to, but he's at least a low-end RB1 target in fantasy.