Dynasty Fantasy Football Outlook for 49ers | Are Brock Purdy, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle and Others Long-Term Assets?

Discussing San Francisco 49ers offensive players from a dynasty fantasy football perspective.

With the NFL season now behind us, fans have turned their attention to next season. 

While redraft fantasy football leagues are done for the season, dynasty leagues start to pick up steam again as the offseason kicks off. We’ve covered long-term dynasty outlooks for several teams already, but let’s dive into the outlooks for the two Super Bowl teams today. We’ll mostly focus on the long-term fantasy outlooks of offensive players on the teams, but we’ll also touch on what those players’ values are in redraft leagues too.

We’ll cover the San Francisco 49ers in this article. Check out the Kansas City Chiefs article here.

Quarterback Outlook

This is a bit trickier situation than you might think. Brock Purdy was in the MVP conversation for most of the regular season, but we are talking about Mr. Irrelevant here. With the Niners being in a contending position, they’d be silly to not upgrade at quarterback if they get the chance this offseason. Do I think it’s likely? No, but I wouldn’t definitely rule it out either. 

Purdy struggled a little bit throughout the postseason, but also came through in the clutch on multiple occasions. The Niners are loaded offensively, so whoever is the team’s quarterback has the chance to be a great fantasy option.

Purdy is just barely 24 years old, so it’s still likely that Purdy hasn’t played his best football yet. If he can take another step forward next season, that should eliminate all of the doubt about his future in the league.

There were injury concerns (along with doubts he could replicate his rookie season) before this past season, which caused him to drop in fantasy drafts. If he’s indeed the starter going into next season, he should be a mid-round pick that will probably outperform several of the guys that go before him.

Running Back Outlook

Christian McCaffrey is clearly the team’s top option out of the backfield. He was a fantasy stud all season and should easily be RB1 off draft boards before next season. While most running backs start to slow down around age 28, there’s not too many people out there that expect a big decline in production from McCaffrey.

There’s obviously a little more risk in rostering him in a dynasty league with each year that passes, but until he shows signs of slowing down, there’s not too much concern from me. In this offense, he will be in the running for the top fantasy back again next season.

Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason have each shown flashes of being decent fantasy assets in their careers, but behind McCaffrey, their fantasy values are pretty limited. I wouldn’t expect San Fran to move on from either guy, but if either gets moved, then their fantasy value goes up.

Pass Catchers Outlook

San Fran should have just about every pass catcher back with the team next season. The biggest question mark is Jauan Jennings, who is a restricted free agent.

Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle will be the top pass-catching options (granted the team doesn’t trade any of them away). 

Aiyuk has the best dynasty value because he’s just 25 years old. He had some monster games this season and should be the No. 1 option going into next season. Of course, having guys like McCaffrey, Samuel and Kittle around will likely keep him from being a top-five fantasy option, but he’s got the talent to be one of those guys every week.

Samuel should remain a good dynasty asset going into next year, although there’s some injury concerns surrounding him. His usage as a ball carrier boosts his fantasy value in any league.

Kittle is one of the bigger names at tight end in the league. There’s some boom or bust to his game, but there also aren’t a lot of great fantasy TEs out there, so fantasy owners can live with some of his down showings.

Aiyuk and Samuel should be the first San Fran pass catchers drafted in redraft leagues next season. Kittle could be a steal if he falls a bit due to his boom-or-bust outings.

I expect the Niners to retain Jennings, and if they do, I’d expect him to be a bigger emphasis in the team’s offense for next season. The Niners can clearly win while leaning on McCaffrey, Samuel, Aiyuk and Kittle, but getting a few other offensive weapons should be an offseason priority. 

I could see San Fran adding another wideout in free agency or the draft, but I wouldn’t expect it to hurt the fantasy values of any of the team’s top options right now.

How to Proceed

Oddly enough, the Niners have more dynasty fantasy options than the team they lost to in the Super Bowl.

I think Purdy is a safe option, but that little bit of doubt would make me willing to part with him if I rostered him in a dynasty league and got a good offer for him. It might also mean he’d be attainable if you are looking for a quarterback for next season and beyond. He shouldn’t demand the same return as some of the top options, but you also won’t get him for super cheap.

McCaffrey is a guy I still like for at least a couple more seasons, so I’d be all for acquiring him if I had the opportunity. He’s the best fantasy back in the game, so in order to get him in a trade, it’s going to cost a lot. If you are a contending dynasty team, that’s when I’d most want to go after a guy like McCaffrey - don’t blow up your entire future just to get him on your team (especially if you are an average or rebuilding team).

Of the pass catchers currently on the roster, I like Aiyuk the most in dynasty formats. He’s going to be the No. 1 option for whatever team he plays for in the future, and his best football still should be ahead of him. He won’t cost what some of the top-end fantasy options do, but he’s capable of matching those players on a fantasy level.

With Samuel, he’s a guy I’d probably want to trade away (instead of rostering myself). He’s a very versatile player and is incredibly valuable to his team, but injury concerns and his rising age scare me off him. I’d try to cash in while his value is still pretty high instead of waiting. 

As good as Kittle is - even at a weak TE fantasy position - I’m also in favor of moving on from Kittle in dynasty leagues. He’s 30 years old and might have already peaked. His name (and being at a weak position) should allow you to get pretty good value in return. There’s some decent tight ends in the upcoming NFL draft, or you could instead try to mix and match at the position, like so many other owners do.

Jennings is an interesting dynasty option. He wasn’t a huge fantasy asset this season, but he definitely has talent and would probably be a much bigger asset without so many other playmakers around him. He’s a guy to keep an eye on during the offseason to see where he lands - he’d probably have more fantasy value on another team, but I also believe his role will expand in San Fran if he returns.

Those are probably the only players that are worth mentioning from a dynasty perspective right now. Mitchell and Mason could enter the picture if they get a change of scenery.

An offseason acquisition (whether in the NFL draft, free agency or through a trade) is immediately going to have a good fantasy outlook on this offense. Expect at least a couple changes to be made to the skill positions as the Niners attempt to get over the hump and cash in on their contending phase.

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