Who Should I Start? Josh Downs or Ricky Pearsall

Saturday, May 30, 6:03 AM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall has struggled to stay on the field through his first two seasons in the league, but some of the flashes he's shown in brief spurts have demonstrated the abilities that made him a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and suggested that a fantasy breakout could be lurking if he can piece it all together for a full season. All-Pro tight end George Kittle is expected to miss time after rupturing his Achilles in the 2025 postseason, and there is a belief that Christian McCaffrey's workload could be dialed back after handling a league-high 440 opportunities in his age-29 season. Although the team spent an unexpected second-round pick on Ole Miss wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling, Pearsall's primary target competition in two-receiver sets will be a 33-year-old Mike Evans who has dealt with soft tissue injuries in the past and most recently missed nine games with hamstring issues, a concussion, and a broken collarbone. While Pearsall has missed 14 games of his own to a variety of injuries, including a gunshot wound before he'd ever taken an NFL snap, he has finished as the fantasy WR26 or better in 35% percent of his games. Still only 25 years old, Pearsall has both the ability and the opportunity to turn in week-winning performances, and if he can find health and consistency in year three, he has a strong chance of rising dramatically from his current spot of dynasty WR47 in RotoBaller's latest rankings.