The San Francisco 49ers have managed to get through two full games without one of the offense's most valuable contributors — Kyle Juszczyk. The Pro Bowl fullback is a key blocker in the running and passing games, and is even a capable receiving target for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
Juszczyk suffered an MCL sprain during Week 5, an injury with an estimated recovery time of four to six weeks. That would mean the earliest the fullback could return would be for the November 11 division matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan has had to tweak his offense in Juszczyk's absence, but the Niners keep on winning. The team currently sits at 6-0 and perched atop the NFC West.
The bad news is the 49ers must press forward without their fullback for at least a couple more games. The good news is that Juszczyk feels that his recovery is progressing well.
"It's responded really, really well. I haven't had any setbacks, no inflammation," Juszczyk told Cam Inman of Bay Area News Group on Wednesday. "Honestly, I haven't experienced a lot of pain, even when the injury first happened."
Juszczyk remembers what it was like after the injury occurred.
"It's a weird feeling, where it just feels unstable," he said, "and my range of motion was pretty limited, at first."
Juszczyk has earned a Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade of 82.9 this season, his highest grade since joining the 49ers. His 83.9 overall grade is the highest of his NFL career and leads all fullbacks by a significant margin.
There is no doubt how valuable Juszczyk is to the 49ers offense and how much easier game-planning becomes for Shanahan when he has his versatile fullback in the lineup.
"Juice does so much for this offense," quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo said on October 9. "He just, the versatility, he does things that most fullbacks can't do. He's catching passes out of the backfield, diving for catches while also cutting a D-end on the backside. It's little things like that."
Juszczyk's recovery progress was evident on Wednesday. Inman notes that he could be seen on a side field, getting in a good amount of work while his healthier teammates practiced.
One of those practice participants, by the way, was Juszczyk's newest teammate, Emmanuel Sanders. The 49ers exchanged a few draft picks with the Denver Broncos on Tuesday to acquire the veteran receiver.
"Obviously, I've got a lot of love for the Broncos," Sanders told reporters in the Levi's Stadium auditorium on Wednesday. "It's been six years there, won a Super Bowl there. I love that organization, but to be a Forty-Niner, it's like new energy and new environment."
Sanders isn't the only one that feels "energized" by the roster move.
"It energizes everybody," Juszczyk said of the trade for Sanders, "not that we needed to be energized, because everyone is looking good right now. I'm definitely excited to have Emmanuel here. He's an absolute playmaker and someone who will definitely help our offense."