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JaMycal Hasty: Next Man Up in 49ers Backfield (2020 Fantasy Football)

JaMycal Hasty: Next Man Up in 49ers Backfield (2020 Fantasy Football)

The 49ers backfield has been one of the most favorable in recent years when it comes to fantasy production. Coach Kyle Shanahan has a way of utilizing multi-purpose backs and getting them tons of room to run behind one of the league’s best full-backs, Kyle Juszczyk. Last season, Raheem Mostert was one of the biggest breakout stories in the league at the position. Unfortunately, the 49ers have been one of the most injury-ravaged teams in the league this season, which has called for the phrase “Next man up” to come early and often. We have seen players like Jeff Wilson get promoted from the practice squad in SF and have the ability to put up very respectable numbers. Right now, that next man up is rookie JaMycal Hasty, who led the backfield with 13 touches in Week 8 against the Seahawks. In light of Hasty’s newfound opportunities, we will take a deep look at who he is and what he’s worth going forward in fantasy.

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Player Profile

JaMycal Hasty was utilized as a multi-faceted offensive weapon in college for the Baylor Bears. He secured over 100 touches in each of his four years at Baylor while securing at least 25 receptions in each of his last three years. He was no stranger to being utilized in a timeshare as this was the preferred method of backfield management for his former head coach and current Panthers HC, Matt Rhule. In college, Hasty showed solid quick-cut agility, exceptional burst, plus pass protection, and contributed on both ends of the special teams unit. He has a more compact build at 5’8″ and 205 lbs.

Hasty was not selected in the 2020 NFL Draft but was quickly picked up by the 49ers as an undrafted free agent. I immediately loved this landing spot for Hasty as he has the exact skillset of a Shanahan back in the mold of Matt Breida, Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson, etc. Now allowed to run with the starters, we can expect him to put up similar numbers to what we have seen from Breida and Wilson. It’s also entirely possible we see him put up similar production as Mostert.

State of the Offense

The 49ers offense has been all over the place this season. As previously mentioned, they have been just riddled with injuries from the top down. Jimmy Garoppolo hasn’t been able to finish a game in two of the last three weeks, which has led to us seeing a tandem of Nick Mullens and C.J. Beathard “lead” the offense. Pass-catching options have seen the same poor luck with George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, and Brandon Aiyuk, all missing time throughout the season.

The 49ers 4-4 record has them on the bottom of the heavily-contested NFC West looking up, though it would be good enough for first place in the NFC East. While their rushing offense hasn’t seen quite the same volume as last season, it has still been a productive unit throughout the team’s struggles. They rank 10th in the league in rushing yards, and their 14 rushing TDs are the most in the NFL. They rank about average in total points for this season but are top 12 in total offensive yards. All-in-all, the offense is quite favorable for Hasty and the backfield to enjoy success in the back half of the season.

Outlook

Hasty was on the field for 29 offensive snaps in Week 8 (41%), which just trailed McKinnon, who saw 35 snaps (50%). Despite the lesser snap share, Hasty dominated backfield touches over McKinnon 13-7. Hasty was utilized more between the tackles with 12 carries, with McKinnon serving as the primary passing-down back with his four targets. While this has been McKinnon’s role most of the season, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Hasty start to take over some of this passing-down work as he flashed above-average receiving chops in college. McKinnon also has been described to have “tired legs,” with this being the most action he has seen in the last two years after dealing with a litany of injuries himself.

This backfield should continue to be a full-blown committee, but with Hasty coming in fresh and offering a dual-threat skillset, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him continue to lead the backfield in touches from now on. This backfield has been a weekly carousel of injuries, so that will be something to monitor going forward that will affect Hasty’s outlook down the road. Tevin Coleman tried to return from I.R. in Week 8 but was quickly reinjured. Mostert and Wilson are both on I.R. This should leave plenty of time for Hasty to establish the hot hand and help fantasy teams make a playoff push.

Proactive owners in highly-competitive leagues should have already picked Hasty up, anticipating more production. We could see Hasty truly breakout in Week 9 against a weak Packers run defense. If you don’t grab him this week, next week may be too late.

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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.

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