San Francisco came very close to winning another Super Bowl this past season, and the 2024 squad seems primed to return to the big game. If Brock Purdy continues to take another step as a leader and if they can figure out the contract situation of their wide receivers, the 49ers should be able to continue as one of the top teams in the NFC.
I easily could have argued that for the first 12 to 13 weeks of last season that Purdy was the MVP. Interestingly, he is still underappreciated in the fantasy community as he often goes outside of the top 12 quarterbacks taken. Kyle Shanahan is one of the great playcallers in the game and puts Purdy in situations that help him succeed. You could do a lot worse than having Purdy as your starter and I certainly like him in Superflex leagues as well.
McCaffrey is most likely the number-one pick in almost every fantasy draft. There’s always a slight worry about his injury risk. However, San Francisco does a really good job of maximizing his touches. If McCaffrey plays all 17 games, he is, without a doubt, the number one overall player in fantasy football.
Deebo is a tremendously talented receiver who often gets a few rushing attempts each game as well. In fact, he was used as a running back when McCaffrey was injured a couple of seasons ago. What makes Deebo so special is that his after-the-catch ability separates him from the rest of his competition; he’s so fast that he can make a simple 10-yard play into a 50-yard touchdown.
There’s a lot of drama right now with Aiyuk because of his contract situation. This needs to be monitored closely because if he gets traded to any other team he would be their WR1. As it stands now, he is the WR2 in San Francisco, but that still doesn’t prevent him from being one of the top players in the game. One slight note of caution is that Aiyuk is occasionally overshadowed by the rest of the offensive players on his own team. This makes him slightly inconsistent on a week-to-week basis, but he makes up for it in terms of overall points.
Keep an eye on Pearsall, as he is a terrific young receiver who runs very crisp routes and has surprisingly good speed. It is likely that Pearsall will start the season as the WR3, but if either Samuel and/or Aiyuk gets injured, Pearsall’s value would shoot way up.
The biggest problem is that Kittle is such a good blocker that when the 49ers play teams that have tremendous pass rushes, they often keep him in as an extra blocker to protect Purdy. However, what we love about Kittle is that he always finds ways to get open downfield, and he has a nose for the end zone, which consistently makes him one of the top seven or eight overall fantasy tight ends.
As long as San Francisco’s skill players stay healthy, we expect to see them in the NFC championship game.
