Ricky Pearsall injury news: What status means for Week 17 vs. Bears

The San Francisco 49ers host the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football in Week 16 and hope to have some key offensive players in the lineup. Tight end George Kittle and wide receiver Ricky Pearsall are both questionable heading into Sunday. Kittle is dealing with a Week 16 ankle injury and seems a little less likely to play, while Pearsall is dealing with ongoing ankle and knee issues and seems a bit more likely to play.

The game kicks off at 8:20 p.m. ET, which means we will not have an official word on Pearsall or Kittle’s status until 6:50 p.m.

Ricky Pearsall injury update

Pearsall was a limited participant all three days this week before getting the questionable tag. He suffered his injury in Week 15 on a hip-drop tackle on his first play of the game. He was a DNP all three days of Week 16 before being ruled out on Saturday. However, he’s also been dealing with knee issues in particular for much of the season. He suffered a PCL strain that cost him six weeks in the middle of the season.

Fantasy football analysis

It’s been an up-and-down year for Pearsall when healthy. He played four games to open the season, missed six straight, and then played four more. His most recent game, in Week 15, he caught six passes for 96 yards. In the three games prior, he caught fives passes for a total of 20 yards. Prior to his midseason injury, he had 100+ receiving yards in Week 1 and Week 3.

Pearsall is boom or bust, but even the boom value is primarily in PPR leagues. He’s a flex play with WR upside in PPR leagues and not quite a flex play with maybe some WR3 upside if things go well. If Pearsall plays and Kittle doesn’t, there’s some interesting upside, but if you can’t afford a low floor option, you’re better looking elsewhere.