Juice Check, Week 2: New formation, bigger role

Kyle Shanahan had great success with his versatile fullback Kyle Juszczyk in Week 1 against Minnesota, including the longest pass reception by either team (56 yards). So what did he do with his “offensive weapon” in Week 2 against the Detroit Lions?

He changed everything.

It’s no surprise that the coach used him more — 40 offensive plays (62.5%) vs. only 26 in Week 1. Juice mostly stayed on the bench in the red zone, as before, but otherwise he only sat for two stretches of several plays — likely for a breather, or a minor injury.

But the formations changed dramatically. In Week 1, Juszczyk lined up in I-formation on 18 of his 28 snaps (including two later called back on penalties), with…