Cowing a returner, some pass game opportunities?

This is a low blow, even for the subsation. Hodge began the year on San Francisco’s practice squad but was promoted to the active roster when De’Zhaun Stribling went down with an ankle injury. He wound up running 45 percent of the routes in Week 3 but was not targeted once. With Mike Evans also banged up, Jacob Cowing and Jordan Watkins could be in line for more work this week.

Robinson suffered a severe ankle sprain in Sunday’s win against the Dolphins and could miss significant time. Cowing ran seven pass routes after Robinson’s exit from the game — the most among all Niners receivers besides Deebo Samuel and Mike Evans. Cowing was not targeted against Miami. If he gets a bump on snaps and routes this week against the Cardinals, Cowing would be nothing more than a deep league flex play who would likely be a boom-bust option.

The Athletic’s Matt Barrows notes that at 30 years old, Samuel is “not going to be close to an every-down player.” 49ers WRs Jordan Watkins and Jacob Cowing are competing to be Samuel’s backup, though neither player will be reliable in fantasy. Samuel may also struggle to return FLEX value at this point in his career.

Juszczyk missed practice Wednesday due to a broken finger. Also missing practice was WR Jacob Cowing, who was dealing with a hip flexor strain. It is unclear how much time the two will miss, but add them to the long list of offensive skill player injuries for the 49ers in training camp.

Watkins drew positive reviews as a rookie last summer, but September ankle and calf injuries stunted his development, pushing him to the bottom of the depth chart. Cowing’s second NFL season was derailed by a recurring hamstring strain. The Athletic’s Matt Barrows listed him as a standout at Thursday’s practice, but he caught just four passes as a 2024 rookie. Expectations for him must be tempered. Watkins is worth monitoring for deep-league managers.

The team now has 21 days to observe Cowing in practice before officially activating him from injured reserve. The move comes at the right time. 49ers WR Ricky Pearsall aggravated his knee injury in Week 17 and was unable to play in Week 18. Cowing is not a full-on replacement for Pearsall, if the latter player remains sidelined, but having another wide receiver available is at least mildly helpful. The team also signed LB Milo Eifler to a reserve/future contract.

The Niners continue to push back the return for Aiyuk, who is still working his way back from the season-ending knee injury he suffered in 2024. 49ers general manager John Lynch said last week that the team still plans to get Aiyuk on the field at some point this season, but the timeline for his return remains a mystery. In addition to Aiyuk, the Niners also said they won’t be opening Jacob Cowing’s return window until after their Week 14 bye. Cowing has been sidelined with a hamstring injury.

He’ll miss at least the first four games of the season. Cowing dealt with problems in the hamstring throughout training camp and ultimately won’t be able to take advantage of a golden chance while Brandon Aiyuk is out early in the season. The 49ers re-signed P Thomas Morstead to take Cowing’s spot on the roster.

Cowing strained his hamstring in practice last month. Just as he was set to return, he now suffers a setback, having strained his hamstring again in Tuesday’s practice. The 49ers wideout group continues to take hits, with Demarcus Robinson facing suspension and Jordan Watkins (ankle), Brandon Aiyuk (knee), and Jauan Jennings (calf) all out for now. Ricky Pearsall seems to be the only wide receiver slated for targets, but the 49ers may shop around for a veteran to add to the mix.

The hits keep on coming for the Niners, who are expected to be without Brandon Aiyuk (knee) for at least the first month of the season, and are at risk of being without Jauan Jennings (calf) as well. Jacob Cowing is also battling a hamstring injury, although Kyle Shanahan said he could return to practice on Tuesday. Still, it goes without saying that the Niners’ receiver room is banged up, and Watkins had a chance to see some work early in the season with the injuries piling up. It was reported earlier this month that Watkins was ‘in the mix’ for WR3/WR4 duties. A month-long absence means Watkins could be at risk of missing the first month of the season, but we’ll likely get more clarity on that as Week 1 draws closer.