As you all have probably heard, Mario Manningham tore the ACL and PCL in left knee against the Seahawks and he’s out for the rest of the season.
The 49ers now have lost their No.2 and No.3 wide receivers (Kyle Williams tore up his knee against the Saints). The remaining wide receivers on the 53-man roster are Michael Crabtree, Randy Moss, Ted Ginn Jr. and A.J. Jenkins.
How do you expect the 49ers to tweak their offense to compensate for the loss of Manningham?
Do you expect the first round pick, A.J. Jenkins, to take Manningham’s place?
I don’t. I expect Randy Moss to be the No.2 wide receiver for the rest of the season, and I expect the 49ers to rarely use three-wide-receiver formations.
I expect Delanie Walker’s playing time to increase. He played 44 snaps against the Seahawks and was targeted a career-high seven times. I even expect Walker to play more and more wide receiver, not just tight end. That’s how the 49ers used him against the Seahawks after Manningham got hurt.
Even though Walker drops a pass about every other game, he is clearly one of passing game coordinator John Morton’s favorite weapons. I expect Morton to express his creativity by using Walker in new ways down the stretch of this season.
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