The San Francisco 49ers will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10. Here’s fantasy football start-sit advice for every 49ers skill player who has the potential to make a fantasy impact during the game.
Looking for more lineup advice? Head over to our Week 10 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Brock Purdy, QB
Jalen Hurts, Baker Mayfield, and Brock Purdy were the only QBs to finish Weeks 6, 7, and 8 as a top-10 fantasy signal caller. Purdy’s versatility and its impact on his fantasy status can’t be overstated — he has three scores on the ground over the past two games and has a run of 10+ yards in six of eight games. More important than his ability to do that is his coaching staff buying in.
In Weeks 1-7 last season, Purdy’s quick-pass rate was 74.1%. Since then, that rate has been trimmed to 55.4%. That tells me that this offense is getting more creative with their play-calling, and that should have Purdy managers excited. The Bucs have allowed a QB to clear 24.5 fantasy points five times this season, a run that includes each of their past three games.
Purdy ranks ahead of the streaming tier this week, and that’ll be the case every week moving forward.
Christian McCaffrey, RB
Is it time? Will the industry-wide nightmare of not having Christian McCaffrey in our lives finally end on Sunday?
All signs point that way, and I’m operating under that assumption until I have reason not to. We can agree that Jordan Mason (three RB1 finishes, 5.1 yards per catch, and 7.2 yards per target) has been great, right?
Consider this: Mason’s expected PPR fantasy points per game this season is only 66.8% of what McCaffrey posted a season ago. If you want to be conservative with CMC in his season debut, go ahead and drop him down in your weekly rankings.
Maybe all the way down to RB5.
It’s difficult to do much more than that. McCaffrey is a unique talent in an offense built around his versatility. If you’ve waited nine weeks to have your first-round pick active, I can’t imagine a world in which you’re waiting to lock him into your lineup.
Jordan Mason, RB
It’s not you, Jordan, it’s me.
And by “me,” I mean Christian McCaffrey. Jordan Mason has been about as good as fantasy managers could have possibly hoped for (17-game pace: 1,639 yards from scrimmage), but for a team with Super Bowl aspirations and some early season struggles to overcome as we begin the second half of the season, he’s set to transition to an accent piece of furniture as opposed to the big-screen TV in which the entire room is positioned around.
Could there be a ramp-up period this week that allows Mason to hold onto a Flex-worthy role? It’s certainly possible, but your backfield depth would have to be awfully limited to bet against McCaffrey in this capacity.
Deebo Samuel Sr., WR | SF (at TB)
There are no shortage of moving pieces in San Francisco and while the return of Christian McCaffrey figures to take some food off the plate of Deebo Samuel Sr., he still figures to be involved enough to start in all formats.
In his healthy games this season, Samuel is averaging 7.8 touches per game, a number that I think makes for a reasonable projection with CMC being worked back in and Brandon Aiyuk obviously out of action.
The high-end ceiling is no longer there, but his role in this uber-efficient offense appears to be safe and in the year of receiver injuries, that’s more than enough to garner interest as a WR2 in all formats.
Jauan Jennings, WR
Jauan Jennings sat out before the Week 9 bye with a hip injury, but all reports coming out of San Francisco suggest that he will be back in the mix and ready to assume the 49ers’ WR2 duties.
The 27-year-old proved capable of earning targets earlier this season when pressed into heavier usage. And while I expect Jennings to be a pretty clear fourth option in San Francisco’s passing attack, there is some meat on the bone here if you think the 49ers trend toward the 28 points that sportsbooks have them projected for.
This season, Jennings has turned 15 perimeter targets into 37 PPR points, blending upside with efficiency in the process. If San Francisco elects to kick Deebo Samuel Sr. into the slot, Jennings could prove to be a valuable asset to this offense and a week decider in fantasy circles.
Through nine weeks, the Bucs are the third-most challenged team out wide (15.0 attempts per game). One reason teams go that route is because they’ve had success (TB vs perimeter: 20th in completion percentage, 24th in interception rate, and 25th in touchdown rate).
There certainly is risk involved here, as the 49ers may not need to stray from their stars in this matchup. Nevertheless, I’m Flexing Jennings in a few spots and feel okay about it.
He’s right on that WR30 borderline for me at the moment, ranking ahead of bigger names like Michael Pittman Jr./Calvin Ridley and ahead of everyone’s favorite matchup play of the week in Jordan Addison.
George Kittle, TE
For the first time since last October, George Kittle has surpassed 80 air yards in consecutive games; with a consistent role for the taking due to Brandon Aiyuk’s injury, he is on the very short list of players who can lead the position in fantasy points during the second half of the season.
I know there is a reflex to want to sell any tight end after any strong run of production, understanding that stable production at the position is nearly impossible to find — but I’m not doing it. You have, for my money, the best TE for the rest of the season, and you should be thrilled about the edge that gives you over your competition.
San Francisco 49ers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Insights
San Francisco 49ers
Team: The 49ers won six straight games out of their bye last season, outscoring the opposition 207-94 in the process.
QB: In Weeks 1-7 last season, Brock Purdy’s quick pass rate was 74.1%. Since, that rate has been trimmed to 55.4%.
Offense: Settling. The 49ers have kicked a field goal on 26.5% of their drives this season, up from 11.7% a year ago.
Defense: In Weeks 2-6, San Francisco forced their opposition to go three-and-out on 28.8% of their drives, a rate that spiked in the two weeks before their bye (43.5%).
Fantasy: Jalen Hurts, Baker Mayfield, and Purdy were the only QBs to finish Weeks 6-7-8 as a top-10 fantasy signal-caller.
Betting: The 49ers have covered six of their past eight games as a road favorite (those two losses came in Weeks 2-3 this season, outright losses to the Vikings and Rams).
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Team: Will their fate depend on how they can produce on the road? Following the Week 11 bye, Tampa Bay plays four of five on the road (all of which are winnable: Giants, Panthers, Chargers, and Cowboys).
QB: Baker Mayfield has the longest active streak of multi-pass games at six straight (Josh Allen is second with four straight).
Offense: Tampa Bay has allowed pressure on just 12.8% of dropbacks over the past two weeks, easily the lowest rate in the league.
Defense: The Bucs have allowed opponents to convert 60% of third downs over the past two weeks (first seven weeks: 37.2%).
Fantasy: Cade Otton is one of four pass catchers to have 15 PPR points in each of the past three weeks, joining Justin Jefferson, Terry McLaurin, and Cedric Tillman.
Betting: Overs are 7-2 in the last nine instances in which a team on short rest faces one on an extended break.