49ers news: Which injury replacement has been the best through 3 weeks?

The 49ers are limping into their Week 4 matchup with the New England Patriots, missing Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Dre Greenlaw, George Kittle, and now Javon Hargrave. The injury bug is all over the NFL, but teams aren’t going to feel sorry for you. How have the 49ers’ replacements filled in for their banged-up teammates?

Christian McCaffrey/Jordan Mason

Quite frankly, there is no replacing McCaffrey’s production and impact on the field. However, Mason has filled in admirably while introducing himself to NFL fans in his first three starts in 2024. 49ers fans have banged the table for more playing time for the former Georgia Tech running back. The early returns are incredible.

Only Saquon Barkley has more rushing yards on the season with 351, but Mason is right on his tail with 324 yards. Barkley and Mason are also one and two in yards after contact with 221 and 211, respectively. Mason leads all NFL running backs with 19 missed tackles forced and is tied with Barkley for the most ten-plus yard runs with nine. One concern is Mason leads the NFL in rushing attempts with 67, but Mason has done the job for the 49ers.

Deebo Samuel/Jauan Jennings

While Samuel has only missed one game, with the possibility of missing his second in Week 4, and Jennings isn’t a one-for-one replacement due to Samuel’s versatility to play multiple positions, Jennings has absolutely shined with his expanded role.

Currently, Jennings sits third in the NFL in receiving yards with 276, ahead of Justin Jefferson. With his current pace, Jennings is on track for his first 100 reception season with 102 catches on 119 targets. Obviously, this will be tough to maintain given the returns of Samuel and Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk returning to form, but Jennings’s 15.3 yards per reception is impressive. Of his 18 receptions, 11 have gone for first downs.

George Kittle/Eric Saubert

Kittle also missed his first game on Sunday, and Saubert was tabbed to replace him, but any statistical comparison won’t tell the whole story. Replacing Kittle comes down to how well Saubert holds up blocking. Saubert has eight more blocking snaps than Kittle, and 58.5 percent of his snaps are blocking assignments.

Saubert has allowed a QB hit and pressure and has a 25.6 pass-blocking grade compared to Kittle’s 75.0. Kittle is the best blocking tight end in football so it isn’t fair to jump on Saubert for the dip in production, but Saubert carries a 56.0 run-blocking grade compared to Kittle’s 65.1 heading into Week 4.

There is optimism that Kittle will be available Sunday, and it will be a welcome sight, with Saubert only contributing four catches on five receptions for 67 yards. Last Sunday was Saubert’s best game, with two catches and 41 yards for 20.5 yards per reception.

Dre Greenlaw/De’Vondre Campbell

Fred Warner’s new running mate has struggled through three games, particularly in coverage, allowing 14 receptions on 16 targets for 149 yards for 10.6 yards per reception and 118 yards after catch. 2021 and 2022 were banner seasons for Campbell as a coverage linebacker with 82.2 and 81.0 coverage grades, but his coverage grade has plummeted to 50.8.

Campbell seems to be a target, especially on Sunday against the Rams, where we allowed three receptions of three targets for 53 yards and 17.7 yards per reception. Following his performance on Sunday, Pro Football Focus graded Campbell at 35.3 on coverage. Ouch.

The injuries to the 49ers stars are frustrating, but the “next man up” mentality has worked out for the most part. The 49ers’ depth has been tested but answered the challenge.