The San Francisco 49ers may have to have a new leading receiver in Week 2.
With Brandon Aiyuk working his way back after missing all of training camp and the preseason, wide receiver Jauan Jennings stepped up for the 49ers in their season-opening win against the Jets. He hauled in all five balls thrown his way, racked up 64 yards and turned four of his five receptions into first downs.
One of his five catches ended with a defender landing awkwardly on his ankle. Jennings limped off and eventually returned, but head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters in a conference call Tuesday that Jennings would be day-to-day leading up to Week 2.
Typically there’d be plenty of reason for optimism, but the 49ers have a short turnaround after playing Monday night. They’ll also be on the road in Minnesota and playing on turf. That may lead them to be more cautious with players working through injuries given the risk of injury on the artificial surface.
It’ll be worth keeping a close eye on Jennings’ participation throughout the week of practice. He was nursing an ankle issue going into Week 1, but he was a limited participant the first two days and a full participant in the final practice before turning in a sterling Week 1 performance.
If Jennings can’t go against the Vikings, we may see an uptick in work for Aiyuk, as well as more playing time for veteran Chris Conley and rookie Jacob Cowing.
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