Jeff Wilson Jr. Seizing Opportunities in the Lucrative 49ers Backfield

Injuries weren’t quite as big of a theme in the league last week unless you’re the 49ers whose luck continues to dwindle. As part of our in-depth look at some of the top waiver adds of the week, we will take a look here at one of the last men standing in the 49ers backfield, Jeff Wilson Jr.

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Player Profile

Jeff Wilson came into the league as an undrafted free agent out of North Texas. In college, Wilson was a do-it-all back totaling 1,215 rushing yards and 16 rushing TDs in his senior year to go along with 24 catches for 168 yards. Wilson accumulated 30 rushing TDs between his final two seasons at North Texas, putting himself in the school’s record books with the third-most rushing TDs.

Wilson didn’t light up his pro day in college running just a 4.57 40-yard dash, but his versatility is something that has helped him find a home in this Kyle Shanahan offense.

State of the Offense

The 49ers have taken one of the biggest beatings on the injury front early this season. They are currently missing George Kittle, Jimmy Garoppolo, Deebo Samuel, Tevin Coleman, Raheem Mostert, and Jordan Reed. They just barely got first-round rookie Brandon Aiyuk on the field for his debut. Jerick McKinnon is considered day-to-day with a rib injury that knocked him out of last week’s game that was already well out of hand for the Giants.

Despite all of these injuries, the 49ers have survived with a 2-1 record to start the season and just demolished the Giants 36-9 with basically a team full of talented practice squad guys like Wilson. The injuries also haven’t changed the winning offensive philosophy Shanahan brings with their potent run-oriented offense. SF still ranks top-10 in rushing attempts this season, and their five rushing TDs this season is tied for fourth-most in the league.

Outlook

Injuries will continue to be the name of the game when it comes to Jeff Wilson’s value. McKinnon’s injury doesn’t sound serious for now, but that’s a big “for now” with McKinnon as he’s missed the better part of the last three seasons with injuries. The biggest name to watch is Raheem Mostert. He was diagnosed with a sprained MCL and was given a 2-4 week timeline to return. All indications out of 49ers camp have been a mild sprain, making a 2-3 week return very likely. That could put Mostert back on the field as soon as this week, which would be a deathblow to the value of Jeff Wilson.

Realistically, the time to add Wilson was last week, and his shelf life could be short as an immediate value play. However, with the number of injuries we have seen with this team so far and players like McKinnon who offer a high injury risk, it’s entirely possible Wilson does the dance between fantasy relevant and irrelevant all season. If this were a lowly offense like the Giants or Jets, he wouldn’t be worth rostering. However, with this being the 49ers and one of the most efficient backfields in the league, Wilson will have potential flex value for as long as he is active. He seems to have a vital role in both passing situations and near the goal line, both essential for fantasy production amongst low-volume players.

I would still add Wilson with a lower FAAB budget or a backend waiver priority add, but he could see his role diminish once again in a hurry. He has performed very well with the opportunities he has received in SF. The problem is maintaining those opportunities.

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John Ferguson is a featured writer and editor at FantasyPros. For more from John, check out his archive and follow him @FantasyFerguson.