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When will Ricky Pearsall return and play? Will Ricky Pearsall be back again this season? Read the latest Ricky Pearsall injury updates and return date for Week 8 (2025).
The 49ers have dealt with multiple key injuries this season, but they are still 5-2 through seven games and locked in a three-way tie for the top spot in the NFC West. They have started to get a few players back from injuries suffered early in the season, but are still waiting for top wide receiver Ricky Pearsall to return.
In his second season in the NFL, Pearsall has been very productive when healthy, but he hasn't played since week 4.
When will Pearsall return to action, and what is his fantasy football outlook when he does? Let's dive in.
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Ricky Pearsall Injury Update
Pearsall was dealing with "a little bit of instability" in his knee before Week 4's game, but tried to play through the injury. Unfortunately, he re-aggravated the issue and left the game early. He has missed the three games since then, and he started the week leading up to Week 8 with another absence from practice.
49ers QB Brock Purdy was listed as a limited participant in today’s practice; WR Ricky Pearsall did not practice today.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 22, 2025
Ricky Pearsall Fantasy Football Outlook
Before the injury, Pearsall looked ready to step up into a larger role and help carry the workload this season with Deebo Samuel Sr. traded away and Brandon Aiyuk (knee) unavailable to start the year. He had at least four catches in each of his first four games and posted over 100 yards in two of those games, including an eight-catch performance against the Cardinals in his last fully healthy game.
Brock Purdy and Ricky Pearsall in an early rhythm
Watch on @NFLNetwork
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/zHvpDMNbi5— NFL (@NFL) August 16, 2025
He had a total of 20 catches on 29 targets for 327 yards in his four games, working well with both Mac Jones and Brock Purdy (toe) at quarterback. Purdy's return will give the offense a higher ceiling overall, and Aiyuk could also return in the next few weeks to give the 49ers even more options.
San Francisco has been able to stay right in the playoff race despite their injuries, but their offense will be much more balanced and diverse as they get more options healthy. Pearsall could return to his WR1 role once he's ready, or he could slot in behind Aiyuk, but he definitely will be worth starting in most formats once he's back to full speed.
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 8 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Quentin Johnston, Alec Pierce, Jordan Addison, Kayshon Boutte, Romeo Doubs, Wan'Dale Robinson. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 8. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 8 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Week 8 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Quentin Johnston, Alec Pierce, Jordan Addison, Kayshon Boutte, Romeo Doubs, Wan'Dale Robinson. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 8.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, player news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 8 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 8 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 8 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 8 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Quentin Johnston, Alec Pierce, Jordan Addison, Kayshon Boutte, Romeo Doubs, Wan'Dale Robinson compared to others:
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