© Brian Fluharty | 2020 Oct 25
Sunday’s destruction of the Patriots was the sweetest win of the 49ers’ season, but they still couldn’t escape some bitterness.
Jeff Wilson Jr., the fourth string running back who was unquestionably the MVP on Sunday, had to be carted off the field in the fourth quarter with a high ankle sprain after rushing for 112 yards and three touchdowns. He’s unlikely to be available next week in a huge matchup in Seattle.
So what does that mean for the 49ers running back corps, one that is still without Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman, heading into this week? 49ers beat writer Matt Barrows broke it down with Murph & Mac on Monday morning.
“We asked (Kyle) Shanahan last week about Coleman and he was skeptical, he didn’t rule it out altogether that Coleman could be back this week, but he thought it would be more like next week,” Barrows said. “Remember Coleman is one of those guys who got hurt in that Jets game at MetLife Stadium, way back in Week 2. It was a serious knee sprain so he’s been out awhile. Even if he does come back and practice this week I don’t know whether they’d want a week of practice to ramp him up.
“If it’s not him, if it’s not Mostert, if it’s not Jeff Wilson, then you’re staring down JaMycal Hasty and Jet McKinnon. McKinnon hasn’t been himself for a couple weeks, and he still didn’t look like himself yesterday. Then there’s Austin Walter who was on the practice squad. You have to go back into your real 49ers fandom, in the 2019 preseason you may have seen a little bit of Austin Walter in one of those games.”
McKinnon was relegated to just three carries for -1 yards, a few days after Shanahan said he would try and call less running plays for a player who is coming off two seasons missed with leg injuries.
Still, McKinnon looked a few steps slow when he did see the field.
“He played 67 snaps in that Eagles game when there were still a bunch of injuries and they had to lean hard on him,” Barrows said. “Sixty-seven snaps was too much for the guy coming back from two years off. He’s just had no pop in his legs for the last three games now. They’ve been taking it easy on him, they’re hoping that returns, they’ve been keeping him off his feet as much as possible and maybe his legs come back a little bit for this game, but judging from this game it doesn’t look like that’s imminent at all.”
With all that in mind, it looks like it could be the Hasty and Walter show on Sunday.
“And that’s it. If anyone can sprinkle a little magic dust on Austin Walter it’s (Running Backs Coach) Bobby Turner and Kyle Shanahan, because anybody you plug in there looks pretty good. I’m just guessing right now six days before the Seattle game, JaMycal Hasty is the guy you want to start in your fantasy league.”
Listen to the full interview below.
