Will Jauan Jennings Play in Week 1? Fantasy Football Injury Update

Will Jauan Jennings play for the San Francisco 49ers in 2025? Will Jauan Jennings be healthy enough to play in Week 1? John breaks down the latest Jauan Jennings injury news for fantasy football.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings (calf) is, notably, dealing with the supposedly same injury that their star running back, Christian McCaffrey, dealt with last season. Of course, this is likely causing nightmares for Jennings' managers in dynasty leagues. 

His redraft ADP has also fallen markedly as a result, despite an offseason of plenty of hype for the veteran. Instead, managers are turning to drafting WR Ricky Pearsall in droves, banking on a second-year breakout. WR Brandon Aiyuk (knee) suffered a massive injury last season, which will have implications for this year.

Every other 49ers pass-catcher stands to benefit in fantasy football due to Aiyuk's ailment, but Jennings' injury of his own could throw a wrench into these plans. So will Jennings play this season? What about Week 1? What's his fantasy football outlook if he takes the field?

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Will Jauan Jennings Play This Season?

I would say so. Calf injuries like his don't cause players to miss a full year. It's not impossible that he's suffering from Achilles tendonitis, as McCaffrey did last season, though. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan repeatedly tells bold-faced lies about his players' health statuses when asked.

Calf strains are more common than Achilles tendonitis, though, so it would be surprising if Jennings is suffering from both. Still, calf issues can linger, as has been noted in the past, so it's unclear when Jennings will return. But you can expect him to take the field in 2025.

49ers WR Jauan Jennings re-injured the same calf that was bothering him during OTAs and there is no timetable for his return, per Kyle Shanahan.

Jennings is currently seeking a new contract. pic.twitter.com/oe0rJyAWFb

— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) July 31, 2025

Indeed, it turns out that Jennings' calf injury is a lingering one. Shanahan is now infamous for mismanaging his players' injuries, or, at least, the 49ers are infamous for constantly having one of the most injured teams in football, and that's important for fantasy football.

It seems that either the team's strength, training, and medical staff are so incompetent that they can't help their players keep injury bugs away, or the coaches allow or force them to return earlier than they should and constantly play through injuries, causing re-aggravations. Something weird is going on.

Will Jauan Jennings Play In Week 1?

This is less certain. It should be noted that Jennings is seeking a new contract, so perhaps this could lead to more time missed. It's important to keep that in mind. But we'll need to wait for more updates before determining Jennings' status for the season opener.

Jauan Jennings re-aggravated calf injury #49ers pic.twitter.com/mI9rVP8B2O

— Deepak Chona, MD. SMA (@SportMDAnalysis) July 31, 2025

There's plenty of reason for worry. Injuries with a high rate of recurrence in the hands of the 49ers' incompetence, wherever it comes from, are definitely concerning. But there's just not much we can do other than sit and wait to see what happens.

Of course, you should probably have a backup plan in place in case you were counting on Jennings starting for your team. If you drafted him in a redraft league, though, it's not like you can pick up Pearsall from waivers or free agency, and with Aiyuk not set to play for at least a few weeks, you'll need to look to another team.

Jauan Jennings 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook

While Jennings had games with highly encouraging target shares, he had his fair share of stinkers as well. While he's an excellent route-runner, has a big body, and is capable of making contested catches, he doesn't have the speed to consistently win downfield with separation.

That's the biggest knock to his game. Were he significantly faster, his tendency to have low-scoring games would likely be a lot lower. But the physical limitations to his skill set mean it's difficult to predict when he'll have big games and when he'll fall off.

Jauan Jennings ... DOGpic.twitter.com/bBvwTnHlAZ

— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) July 7, 2025

His highlight reel is impressive, but his speed concerns are apparent. He's excellent on horizontally-breaking routes, of course, but NFL offenses need explosive plays, and Jennings is more of a chain-mover. That's more or less useful depending on game script.

He at least deserves a spot on fantasy rosters, but with Pearsall in his second year, a healthy George Kittle and McCaffrey, and after Aiyuk's return, Jennings could slide down the target priority list and be very inconsistent. As Aiyuk comes along in his recovery, he could easily overtake Jennings in targets.

So it's hard to get too excited about him.

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