2025 Fantasy Football: San Francisco 49ers Preview

Despite missing Christian McCaffrey for all but 4 games in 2024, the 49ers offense still finished the season ranked 2nd in the NFL in yards per play, 4th in yards per pass play and 7th in rush yards per play. However, their scoring was down as a result of being 26th in goal-to-go situations and 28th in interception rate.

The previous season saw San Francisco rank first in the red zone, fourth in goal-to-go, and third in points per game. The 49ers and Brock Purdy missed McCaffrey’s presence in the lineup.

QB: Brock Purdy

Purdy started his career 10-0 in the regular season and has since gone 13-13. Last season was the first time he’s had to start a game without CMC behind him. For his career, he’s thrown 47 TDs and 15 INTs in games in which McCaffrey has played. In games without him, he’s thrown 17 TDs and 11 INTs.

Purdy just signed a mega extension this offseason after being lucky enough to play with offensive weapons McCaffrey, George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. Purdy’s benefited from those weapons. When they miss, it’s telling. In just the 5 games that Samuel missed over 2022 and 2023, Purdy threw 6 INTs to only 9 INTs in all other games.

RB: Christian McCaffrey

McCaffrey has gone over 2,000 total yards in a season twice in his career. The next season, following each of those years, he missed 13 games. The first time, it took 3 years before he was able to play in a full season again. Now, he’s 29 years old and has the 4th most touches among all active running backs, despite missing 36 of 50 games during 2020, 2021 and 2024.

There have only been 3 times out of his 8 year career in which McCaffrey has failed to average 4.5+ yards per carry. He averaged 3.7 as a rookie, 3.8 the season following his first 2,000+ yard season and 4.0 last year following his last 2,000+ yard season.

RB: Isaac Guerendo

As a rookie, Guerendo had 4 games in which he received 10+ carries. In those games, he put up 10 rushes for 99 yards (9.9 ypc), 14 for 85 (6.1), 15 for 78 (5.2) and 16 for 59 (3.6). He ran for 3 TDs and had at least one run of over 15 yards in each of those 4 games.

Guerendo also chipped in 15 receptions over the season on 16 targets for 152 yards. He’s a big-play threat that should allow the 49ers to limit CMC’s usage in hopes of lengthening his career and keeping him on the field.

RB: Jordan James

James is a one-speed back who immediately hits the gas and starts the buildup to max speed. On the interior, he attacks it by quickly looking for a cut through a crease and has an ability to get into the chest of tacklers to punish them with a pop.

On outside runs, he maximizes his lack of speed by taking smart angles to create space away from oncoming tacklers. He runs through arm tackles to the upper body and keeps his legs moving on goal-line rushes while making himself as compact and hard to bring down as possible.

WR: Brandon Aiyuk

Aiyuk played in 7 games last year before tearing his ACL and MCL in his right knee which caused him to miss the rest of the season and could cost him up to the first 4 games of the 2025 season. Purdy is in need of Aiyuk’s return to the lineup sooner rather than later due to the 49ers trading away his other veteran receiver Deebo Samuel to Washington.

WR: Jauan Jennings

Jennings stepped up with Aiyuk out in 2024, putting together a breakout year which saw him receive 113 targets for 77 / 975 / 6. The targets, receptions and receiving yards more than double his previous highs in his 4 year NFL career. He also set new career-highs in TDs (6) and catch rate (68.1%).

Jennings now wants to be paid based off of his one year of starter production.  Reports are out stating that if he doesn’t receive a lucrative contract that he’ll ask for a trade.

WR: Ricky Pearsall

Pearsall missed the first 6 games of last year as he was healing and working his way back from a gunshot wound. Over the last 11 games, there were 3 in which he was targeted 6+ times. In those games, he put up production of 4 catches for 73 yards and a TD, 8 for 141 yards and a TD and 6 for 69 yards and a TD.

Pearsall has started this year on the active / PUP (physically unable to perform) list after suffering a hamstring injury during the 49ers’ offseason program.

WR: Demarcus Robinson / Jacob Cowing / Jordan Watkins

Robinson set a career-high of 7 TDs last year with the Rams but may face a suspension due to a DUI this offseason.  Cowing (2024) and Watkins (2025) are 4th-round picks of the 49ers from their last 2 draft classes.  Cowing is dynamic but suffered a hamstring injury to start camp this year.

TE: George Kittle

Since Purdy joined the 49ers in 2022, Kittle has seen an increase in TDs, averaging 8 TDs per season over the last three years, while maintaining around 70 receptions for 1,000 yards. There’s no reason to expect things to change in 2025.

Last year, Kittle recorded all 8 of his receiving TDs in his first 9 games that he played. It’s not as if he wasn’t involved later on, as he had 3 games of 100+ receiving yards over his last 4 games played with Purdy on the year.

BREAKOUT PLAYER: Isaac Guerendo

San Francisco will hope to keep McCaffrey as healthy as possible for the remainder of his contract and extend his career. Even if he manages to stay healthy for all 17 games, Guerendo should see 10+ touches a game. If McCaffrey misses time, Guerendo will see around 18+ touches in those games.

Guerendo finishes 2025 with a statline of 175 carries / 800 rush yards / 6 TDs with 30 receptions / 250 receiving yards / 2 TDs.

BUST: Brock Purdy

In 9 home games last year, Purdy threw only 9 TDs with 10 INTs as opposed to 11 TDs / 2 INTs on the road in 6 games. Everything went right for Purdy in 2023 with a healthy team of talented weapons in their prime. The quartet of McCaffrey, Kittle, Samuel and Aiyuk combined to miss only 3 games that season (not counting Week 18). Each of them had 6-7 receiving TDs.

McCaffrey also rushed for 14 TDs on 5.4 ypc, with Samuel also rushing for 5 TDs on 6.1 ypc. It was as perfect as you could imagine. Jennings was the 5th option on that team and 3rd among receivers. He may open 2025 as the top WR option. This isn’t 2023, and Purdy will struggle.

SLEEPER: Ricky Pearsall

Pearsall will have to get and stay healthy but the reports from the 49ers is that he’ll be back soon.  Aiyuk probably misses time and Jennings may force the team’s hand to trade him, if they don’t pay up.  Pearsall will be there and put up  65 / 850 / 6 this year.

BOLD PREDICTION: Christian McCaffrey

Only Derrick Henry, Joe Mixon and Alvin Kamara have more touches among active NFL backs than McCaffrey. The first time he had over 2,000 total yards in a season, he was 23, and it led to 2 down seasons before he could play in more than half of the games in a year. Now, he’s 29 and has already had one year that replicated the past exactly. This year will be comparable to his 2021 season, as I expect him to miss around half of the games in 2025.