Published Sep 24, 2026 · 11:14 AM ET
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IC LITE – NFL EDGE ::
GAME SETUP ::
- Brock Purdy leads NFL in completion rate; SF averaging 31 PPG, winning by 21.
- Arizona secondary banged up after allowing three TDs to Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
HOW ARIZONA WILL TRY TO WIN ::
- Trey McBride is the offensive engine with a league-leading 43.8% first-read target rate.
- Jeremiyah Love likely more involved as a receiver in expected negative game script.
LIKELIEST GAME FLOW ::
- SF offense should roll, pushing Arizona into catch-up mode early.
- Cardinals passing volume stays high; SF pass rush ranks 5th in QB hit rate.
DFS+ ANGLE ::
- McBride is a premium TE option given massive target share and projected negative script.
- Love gains passing-game upside in a week Arizona should trail significantly.
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GAME OVERVIEW ::
- Brock Purdy has been on fire so far this season and leads the NFL with an 80.4% completion rate while taking zero sacks two games, piloting an offense that is averaging 31 points per game and has won their two games by an average of 21 points.
- Arizona’s secondary is dealing with injuries in the secondary and trying to regroup after surrendering three touchdowns to Jaxon Smith-Njigba in a 31-7 loss to Seattle.
- San Francisco’s receiving corps continues to shrink as they now lost Demarcus Robinson to a high ankle sprain.
- Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. continues to disappoint, while Arizona’s prized rookie Jeremiyah Love operates in an even, and so far unproductive, timeshare.
HOW ARIZONA WILL TRY TO WIN::
The Cardinals have continued to rely heavily on Jacoby Brissett through two weeks, ranking 6th in pass rate over expectation after letting Brissett sling it the second half of the 2025 season. The Cardinals backfield has been a relatively even split between third overall pick Jeremiyah Love and free agent acquisition Tyler Allgeier. The snap count is actually in about a 60/40 split with Allgeier getting more work, while their opportunities have been 26 for Allgeier and 27 for Love so far. Love has a goal line touchdown rush and has been the preferred option in the receiving game, as the Cardinals seem intent on preserving their prized rookie and limiting his touches, but are leveraging his explosiveness and skill set in higher leverage situations – an approach that actually makes sense after they made the mind numbing decision to give him 14 carries in their first preseason game, which led to him sustaining a high ankle sprain. Love has looked good on tape and looks like himself despite that August setback, but the running game has struggled through two weeks against the Chargers defense that leads the league in opponent rush yards per attempt and the vaunted Seattle defense in Week 2. This week they face a 49ers defense that has been strong against the run thus far as they held the Rams vaunted rushing attack and De’Von Achane of the Dolphins in check.
Through the air, there is no question that Trey McBride is this team’s engine. Expect that to once again be the case against a 49ers defense that has been great on the perimeter of the field and ranks 5th in the league in QB hit rate through two weeks after playing two very different styles of quarterback in Matthew Stafford and Malik Willis. Jacoby Brissett is anything but what you would call a “mobile” quarterback and getting the ball out quickly will be at a premium in this matchup. McBride is 3rd in the NFL among all players with an insane 43.8% first read target rate. Honestly, sometimes it feels like he is Brissett’s first AND second read. After McBride, things get spread out a bit. Kendrick Bourne and Michael Wilson work in the short to intermediate areas of the field and will likely find more separation this week than they did against Seattle’s lockdown secondary. Marvin Harrison Jr. will get some cardio in, but the film has not been kind and guessing if/when he will come to life feels like a fool’s errand at this point. This does seem like the week where Love will be more involved in the passing game, as Week 1 in Los Angeles the Cardinals played with a lead most of the game – which is unlikely to happen here – and Week 2 in Seattle the offense was under duress all game and unable to sustain drives. San Francisco’s offense is likely to have a lot of success here, putting Arizona in catch-up mode, and the 49ers defense is not as suffocating as the Seahawks so the Cardinals should move the ball better and more aggressively this week.
Inside The Game Flow
Purdy’s pressure splits, CMC’s workload versus Kaelon Black, and why Arizona’s secondary could make this Week 3’s highest-scoring game. Sign up free.
DFS+ Interpretations::
Added Sep 24, 2026 · 11:14 AM ET
The Slate-Breaking Stack
CMC’s history against Arizona and Brissett’s projected volume create a construction puzzle most will get wrong. The key is inside.
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