49ers Fantasy Football Preview: Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel Sr., George Kittle and More
Breaking down the San Francisco 49ers best fantasy football players for the upcoming season.
After taking a look at the top fantasy players from the Kansas City Chiefs, it’s time to discuss the team they beat in the most recent Super Bowl, the San Francisco 49ers.
Check back soon for more team previews. Of course, things will change between now and the start of the season, and FantasySP will cover any major changes when those happen.
Get ready for draft season! Practice Mock Drafts, check out ADPs and get advice for trades with our trade analyzer.
Brock Purdy Fantasy Outlook
Purdy was a breakout player in 2022, and backed things up with another big season in 2023.
In 16 regular season games, Purdy had 4,280 passing yards, 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He added 144 yards and two scores on the ground.
Purdy was a consistent fantasy performer and didn’t really have too many down games. He will have pretty much the same offensive group of players around him, so there’s no reason to expect any sort of dropoff from the seventh-round pick.
He was a borderline top-five fantasy QB last season, yet is being drafted 11th so far. Purdy is going around pick 89.
He’s a great value pick if you miss out on the studs like Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson and will probably go down as a draft steal for a second straight season.
Running Back Fantasy Outlooks
Christian McCaffrey will power the Niners’ running game again.
He was outstanding a season ago. In 16 games played, he rushed for 1,459 yards and 14 scores and caught 67 of the 83 passes thrown his way for an additional 564 yards and seven touchdowns.
It was the second time in McCaffrey’s career that he’s topped 2,000 total yards and first time he went over 20 total touchdowns. There might be a little regression this season, but even if there is, he’s still got a good chance to finish as the top-scoring fantasy player.
Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason return as backup options.
Mitchell had 295 total yards and two touchdowns, while Mason went for 237 total yards and three scores. Neither will be heavily involved offensively unless McCaffrey misses some action.
Isaac Guerendo is another backup option after being drafted in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. If Mitchell or Mason fail to impress again this season, Guerendo could be a player to watch in the seasons to come.
McCaffrey is clearly the San Fran back you want on your fantasy team. He’s the top overall pick in fantasy drafts right now, and unless he’s dealing with an injury before the season starts, I don’t expect that to change. He should be a no brainer pick with the first choice.
Mitchell is the 59th back off draft boards, going around pick 187. Guerendo is the 70th back taken around pick 244 and Mason is a distant pick right now (110th RB and pick 473). In deeper leagues, my choice would be Mitchell among the backup RBs, but in standard leagues, I’d focus my attention on a back who has a legit chance to make a difference this season, not one who will only see the field if the starter goes down with an injury.
Wide Receiver Fantasy Outlooks
There’s some question marks about the pass catchers in San Fran, centered around Brandon Aiyuk. He’s requested a trade, and while he was at practice on Wednesday, he did not participate.
Aiyuk was the team’s leading receiver a season ago, hauling in 75 of his 105 targets for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns across 16 games.
If Aiyuk were to get traded, that would leave Deebo Samuel Sr. as the clear No. 1 wideout (unless the team gets a receiver back in a trade).
Samuel played in 15 games last season. He caught 60 of his 89 targets for 892 yards and seven scores, while rushing 37 times for 225 yards and five more touchdowns.
Samuel saw his yards per touch increase nearly three yards a season ago, a product of Aiyuk enjoying a breakout season and McCaffrey starring for the offense. If Aiyuk is traded, Samuel might see his yards per touch decrease, but more touches should result in similar total yardage and touchdowns.
Jauan Jennings was the team’s third wideout last season, but had just 265 receiving yards and one touchdown. He could be overtaken on the depth chart by rookies Ricky Pearsall or Jacob Cowing.
Pearsall was a first-round pick, and likely is a starter before the end of the season. He’s dealing with an injury now, which decreases his chances of taking on a big role right away, but he could be thrust into a big role if Aiyuk is dealt away.
Cowing was another fourth-round pick of the Niners. He has the makings of a slot receiver and could supplant Jennings for that spot if he has a strong camp and preseason.
Ronnie Bell is another name to track this preseason. He caught three touchdowns last year, but had just six grabs and 68 yards overall.
Aiyuk is the top San Fran receiver off draft boards right now. He’s the 14th receiver taken, going around pick 26. Samuel is the 16th wideout taken, going around pick 29.
Depending on where Aiyuk ends up playing this season, his stock could go up or down. In San Fran, he’s the No. 1 option, but he could become a No. 2 option for another team. With the uncertainty around him right now, I’d be more comfortable taking him at least a round or so later than he’s currently going.
Samuel is going earlier than I expected, but he is coming off a pretty productive season, and he could become the team’s No. 1 option again this season, so I get it. I’d be more comfortable taking him a round later as well, but if Aiyuk is traded, Samuel has the chance to be a big-time draft steal.
Pearsall is currently the 65th receiver off fantasy draft boards, going around pick 167. All other San Fran receivers have ADPs over 500 so far.
Pearsall is a sneaky pick for those of you with an early fantasy draft. If you can afford to take a gamble later in a draft, I’d be all for taking a chance on Pearsall. I think Cowing has the chance to jump up the depth chart and draft boards before the start of the season - keep an eye on him.
Tight End Fantasy Outlooks
While there’s some uncertainty in the wide receiver room, I don’t really worry about Purdy or the offense, mostly because of the tight ends on the roster.
George Kittle is the go-to tight end, and the offseason addition of Logan Thomas was also a really solid one in my eyes.
Kittle played in 16 games last season, catching 65 of his 90 targets for 1,020 yards and six touchdowns. He was a somewhat inconsistent fantasy performer, with some huge weeks and some absolute stinkers. Still, he’s one of the better fantasy TEs in the game.
Thomas has been with Washington the past four seasons. His best season was his first with the team, but he did tally 496 yards and four scores a season ago. If Aiyuk is traded for picks, Thomas could take on a larger role in the passing game.
Even despite some inconsistent showings, Kittle was still a top-five fantasy TE last season. He’s being drafted sixth at the position so far, going around pick 62. That seems like a pretty fair spot for him, but I also think a couple of the TEs going after him have a chance to outscore him, but that really all depends on how the Aiyuk situation unfolds. FantasySP will provide updates on the situation as it unravels.
Thomas isn’t a draft option outside extremely deep leagues, but could become a waiver wire option during the season if Kittle gets injured or the Niners’ utilize Thomas more than anticipated.
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