Who Should I Start? Ricky Pearsall or Kaden Wetjen


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
9.6 1.1 0.0 3.4 47.6 0.2

Ricky Pearsall News

Ricky Pearsall Officially Undergoes Knee Surgery

Thursday, August 13, 8:52 AM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee) underwent season-ending surgery for his PCL injury to his right knee, according to David Lombardi of The San Francisco Standard. In Pearsall's social-media post, the former first-rounder said he had never missed a game due to a football injury in his entire career at any level. The 49ers expect Pearsall to miss anywhere from six to 12 months, and he's already been ruled out for the entire 2025 season. The 25-year-old played in just 20 games (13 starts) in his first two years in the NFL due to injury, including only nine starts last year. He's recorded 67 catches on 99 targets for 928 yards and three touchdowns in his 20 regular-season games. It's unclear if Pearsall will be ready for the start of training camp and the regular season in 2027. Pearsall's redraft and dynasty/keeper value has hit rock bottom. In his absence in 2026, rookie second-round receiver De'Zhaun Stribling will have an opportunity to carve out a larger role alongside veterans Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel Sr., and Christian Kirk.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
0.1 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.7 0.0

Kaden Wetjen News

Steelers Select Receiver/Returner Kaden Wetjen 121st Overall

Saturday, April 25, 9:12 AM

The Pittsburgh Steelers have selected Iowa return specialist/wide receiver Kaden Wetjen with the 121st overall pick in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. He's technically listed as a wide receiver, but we expect to see Wetjen operate solely on special teams. While he had just 23 catches and 197 yards across three seasons at school, he exploded for 1,538 kick return yards, 954 punt return yards, and six return touchdowns. He led the Big 10 in yards per kick return each of the last two seasons, as well as punt return yards in 2025. Meanwhile, he led the entire FBS in kick return yards in 2024 and punt return yards, yards per punt return, and punt return touchdowns in 2025. The Steelers love Iowa prospects and consistently pursue talented returners in the draft or free agency, so this is a perfect fit. He should be their primary returner in Week 1.


Ricky Pearsall vs. Kaden Wetjen

Still trying to decide between Pearsall and Wetjen? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Ricky Pearsall is projected to score 9.6 points this week while Kaden Wetjen is projected to score 0.1 points.