Assessing the impact of 49ers' Week 2 injury report

The San Francisco 49ers head into their Week 2 outing against the New York Jets banged up pretty bad on the offensive side of the ball following a season-opening loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

Wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk missed Week 1 to injuries. Starting center Weston Richburg and top backup Ben Garland also missed the game.

Recently extended All-Pro tight end George Kittle also suffered a sprained knee in the game and is officially out for this game.

Below, we break down the 49ers’ injuries and what they mean for Week 2 against the Jets and beyond.

San Francisco 49ers schedule

• Week 2 : San Francisco at New York Jets 
• Week 3: San Francisco at New York Giants
• Week 4: Philadelphia at San Francisco
• Week 5: Miami at San Francisco

Deebo Samuel injury update 

• Position: Wide receiver
• Status: Out (injured reserve)
• Injury: Foot 
• Team Impact: Samuel will miss at least the next two games. The expectation is that he will be able to go Week 4 against the Philadelphia Eagles after suffering a Jones fracture in his foot during offseason workouts.
• Fantasy Impact: After putting up north of 1,000 yards as a rookie, Samuel’s absence was felt big time in Week 1. Jimmy Garoppolo completed just 4-of-11 passes to his wide receivers. The hope is that Kendrick Bourne can improve off a substandard opener. Fellow Week 1 starter Dante Pettis is irrelevant after failing to catch a pass last week.

Brandon Aiyuk injury report 

• Position: Wide receiver
• Status: Questionable
• Injury: Hamstring
• Team Impact: There’s good news on this front. San Francisco expects its rookie first-round pick to be back on the field Sunday against the Jets. Aiyuk had performed well in training camp prior to suffering the hamstring injury.
• Fantasy Impact: Potentially lethal. Aiyuk’s quickness off the line and ability to turn corners around could loom large against a poor Jets secondary. Without Samuel in the mix, he’s likely to see a ton of targets. Start Aiyuk in the FLEX in standard leagues, and take a chance on him in daily leagues.

George Kittle injury update 

• Position: Tight end
• Status: Out
• Injury: Knee
• Team Impact: The game’s best tight end is obviously a major component to San Francisco’s success on offense. Kittle caught four passes before going down to injury last week. He didn’t record a single reception once returning to the game. That tells us something.
• Fantasy Impact: Now that Kittle has been ruled out for Week 2 vs. Jets, there’s going to be a trickle-down effect. Remember, Samuel is already out for two more games. It’s in this that recently signed former Pro Bowler Jordan Reed should get some more play as a top target for Jimmy Garoppolo.

Ben Garland injury update

• Position: Starting center
• Status: Questionable
• Injury: Ankle
• Team Impact: With starting center Weston Richburg already inactive, Garland was slated to start at center. He performed well in part-time duties last season. Unfortunately, an ankle sprain sidelined him in Week 1. In Garland’s stead, a lesser Hroniss Grasu got the start. This impacted pressure from the middle of the offensive line, creating major issues for Garoppolo.
• Fantasy Impact: Garoppolo should be able to pick apart a bad Jets defense in Week 2. The issue here is said pressure from the middle of San Francisco’s line. If Garland is not able to go, downgrade Garoppolo to a mid-tier option in two-QB leagues.

Richard Sherman injury update

• Position: Starting cornerback
• Status: Out (injured reserve)
• Injury: Calf
• Team Impact: San Francisco’s decision not to add another starter-caliber corner during the offseason is now magnified. Emmanuel Moseley and Ahkello Witherspoon are not the answers. Relying on a player in Jason Verrett who has suited up in five games since the end of the 2015 season is also problematic.
• Fantasy Impact: This week’s game against the Jets likely won’t be impacted too much. Simply put, Sam Darnold does not have weapons to beat a top defense. However, Week 3’s outing against Darius Slayton and the Giants is something for fantasy football owners to watch.