Team news: Minnesota Vikings | Page 9

49ers OC Klay Kubiak on Jauan Jennings:

“His calf is bothering him. We're going to take it day-by-day and see where he's at."

Via: @957thegame

Related Players: Ricky Pearsall, George Kittle, Jordan Watkins, Jacob Cowing, Demarcus Robinson

This appears to be the second time Jennings has dealt with a calf injury, including one back in OTAs. This doesn't bode well for his bid for a restructured contract (or trade) that he's been waiting on this summer, and could open the door for more Pearsall usage ahead of a season they will be missing Brandon Aiyuk for at least a portion of.

No NFL coach would spell out a detailed strategy in public, of course, and the truth is that the split of carries among Aaron Jones, Jordan Mason, and perhaps fourth-year backup Ty Chandler will vary based on game circumstances. But early training camp practices have provided some clues. Jones received the initial snaps in most drills, while Mason opened Monday's full-pads practice with the first carry of first-team drills.

Seifert goes on to say, "While it appears unlikely that the split between Mason and Jones will be 50-50, early indications are that it will be much closer to that than the Vikings' previous splits under O'Connell."

We would still put the majority of the workload on Jones' plate, but Mason should still get enough touches to be fantasy relevant. Think of them as a respective RB2 and RB4.

Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell has announced WR Justin Jefferson has a mild hamstring strain and will be held out of practice. Jefferson will be re-evaluated next week.

Related Players: Jordan Addison, Tai Felton, T.J. Hockenson

It probably goes without saying, but it would be a massive blow to the entire offense, as well as J.J. McCarthy's bottom line if Jefferson missed any time. No need to push the WR too far down your rankings just yet, but if you had a coinflip between him and another first round option, it might be a good time to lean toward the other guy.

Kevin O'Connell on J.J. McCarthy:

"He's absolutely had a phenomenal offseason, from the time before the offseason program started through the nine weeks that we were allowed to be on the grass, and then I think it's been awesome this summer seeing these guys getting together, working. You feel the energy and the enthusiasm not only that J.J. has brought to the group, but that they're reciprocating right back to him."

It's not the first positive report we've seen about McCarthy so far. Our John Paulsen summed up McCarthy's fantasy stock: Last year, three quarterbacks drafted QB20 or later finished in the top 12: Baker Mayfield (QB21), Sam Darnold (QB31), and Bo Nix (QB23). They had a couple of things in common: 1) a strong offensive mind calling the plays, and 2) they can score fantasy points with their legs. Darnold (QB27) can run, but Klint Kubiak is not a certified offensive genius like, say, O’Connell, who coaxed a QB8 finish out of Darnold last season. That’s why I like QB19 McCarthy to meet or exceed his draft position. It’s pretty simple: In O’Connell we trust. McCarthy will run a bit and has a nice group of weapons, including Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, and Aaron Jones.

A report last week that Jauan Jennings wants to be traded if he does not receiver a contract extension from the 49ers was followed by one that said he planned to report to training camp on time despite those feelings. GM John Lynch confirmed that Jennings was at camp during the press conference and that the team expects he will be practicing while declining to say whether there were any contract talks going on.

Related players: Brandon Aiyuk, Ricky Pearsall, Demarcus Robinson, Jacob Cowing, Brock Purdy

The story later said that Lynch wouldn't comment on any kind of contract talks, but Jennings didn't ask to be traded. With Aiyuk expected to be out until October, or even November, there's a good chance Jennings at least starts the season as the team's WR1.

San Francisco GM John Lynch told reporters today that 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk currently is “not anywhere close to having a concrete timeline” to return from the knee injury suffered last season.

Related players: Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall, Demarcus Robinson, Jacob Cowing, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, Brock Purdy

The talk around Aiyuk is more of a return in October, or even November, according to those who follow the team. That means guys like Jennings, Pearsall, Robinson and Cowing could have a chance to be big factors in the 49ers passing game to start the season. As long CMC is healthy, it's possible he and Kittle will soak up a lot of Purdy's targets as well, but there could be some WR sleepers on the Niners available later in drafts.

49ers placed WRs Brandon Aiyuk and Ricky Pearsall on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform list.

Related Players: Jauan Jennings, Demarcus Robinson, Jordan Watkins, Jacob Cowing

Aiyuk was expected, but Pearsall seems to be dealing with an undisclosed injury. We'll keep an eye on things, but we still expect the latter to be ready for Week 1. Regardless, Jennings continues to creep up rankings dispite his current contract dispute and finds himself as a borderline WR2/3 in our rankings, while Pearsall hovers in the WR4 range.

Vikings WR Jordan Addison's case has also concluded with a fine and probation, per his agent.

Related Players: Justin Jefferson, Jalen Nailor, Tai Felton, Rondale Moore, T.J. Hockenson

Much like Rashee Rice, who was sentenced to probation mere hours before this release, we'll have to take a wait-and-see approach to whether or not Addison misses games. The best bet is likely a two-game suspension, but that's all speculation for now. If a potential suspension happens earlier in the season, we could see more work out of rookie Tai Felton than we would have imagined, and Jefferson's target share could be massive without a locked-in WR2.

On Wednesday, on the practice field inside the TCO Performance Center, J.J. McCarthy resembled his former self in almost every way. No, the 22-year-old was not doing any chest-bumping. This was more about his arm, his comfort and his command.

“He’s done an unbelievable job,” said coach Kevin O’Connell. “You forget the fact (that) this is his first runway since the injury. It’s a credit to the work he put in.”

The author said McCarthy’s throws spiraled the same way they did last year. He absorbed the play verbiage, stepped into the huddle, spit out the calls, walked to the line of scrimmage, hollered out the cadence and urgently progressed through reads. He did all of the things you have to do, with few hiccups, to be a successful quarterback in this league. But the story also warned the team isn't naming McCarthy the starter just yet. However, one thing to keep in mind is it's only Sam Howell and Brett Rypien behind him at this point, so McCarthy looks poised to be the starter this season.

49ers WR Jauan Jennings, who is scheduled to make $7.5 million this season in the final year of his deal, wants a new contract or a trade, per sources.

49ers extended Jennings’ deal last year, but that does not change how Jennings feels about this year.

Related Players: Ricky Pearsall, Brandon Aiyuk, Demarcus Robinson, Jordan Watkins, Jacob Cowing

This is a good time for a power move from Jennings, as we are still unclear exactly how long Aiyuk will be out as he recovers from his ACL & MCL injuries. We'll keep an eye on this, but if Jennings misses time or does happen to find himself on another team, former first-rounder Ricky Pearsall would be flying up rankings and draft boards.