The San Francisco 49ers will face the Green Bay Packers in Week 12. 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 12 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Brandon Allen, QB
With Brock Purdy’s status up in the air, Brandon Allen is the next man up. The career back-up has thrown just 37 passes since the beginning of 2021 and doesn’t boast the kind of athletic profile that it takes to overcome a career 56.7% completion percentage.
Should Allen take over, Green Bay’s defense could prove to be a slate breaker. They are the third best team at creating pressure when blitzing and you can rest assured that they’d be looking to heat up the 32-year old. The value of Deebo Samuel and George Kittle are at risk, though I still think you’re playing them this week despite the lowerd expectations.
Brock Purdy, QB
Not having George Kittle pretty clearly hurt Brock Purdy last week against Seattle, as he averaged just 5.7 yards per pass, more than a full yard below any other game for him this season. He’s battling a sore right shoulder that requires some monitoring but isn’t expected to significantly limit him.
Purdy has completed 46 of 64 passes (71.9%) since Christian McCaffrey returned, a movement toward his elite-efficiency form that we saw all of last season. The rushing numbers are why I’m not selling any of my Purdy shares right now (four rushing scores over his past four games and a 454-yard pace).
The aggressive Packers, in my mind, are vulnerable to the type of calculated offense that Kyle Shanahan designs, and that is why I have Purdy ranked as a top-10 signal caller this week. The 49ers face the Dolphins and Lions in Weeks 16-17, games I want exposure to, but if those games are going to matter, San Francisco needs to show some signs of life.
I like Purdy more than you this week and have him as a legitimate buy in DFS contests.
Christian McCaffrey, RB
For most backs, 42 touches over a two-week stretch comes with additional time in the cold tub penciled in for the following days. For Christian McCaffrey, we call it easing back into his regular role.
During those two games, CMC has handled 32 carries. Not a single one of them has gained more than 13 yards and none of them have finished in the end zone — and yet, he’s been a top-15 producer at the position in both games. Even without the impact plays, McCaffrey is picking up at least five yards on 40.6% of his rushes, giving him access to his always stable floor.
Is this the week we get an explosion game with San Francisco’s postseason hopes hanging in the balance?
It’s certainly possible and potentially projectable. The Packers are the sixth-worst run defense in terms of success rate, leading me to think that a few of those five-yard runs result in much more. I’ve made this the rare week where I’m paying top dollar for CMC in DFS contests.
Jordan Mason, RB
Remember a month ago when Jordan Mason was the toast of fantasy circles?
Christian McCaffrey is back doing Christian McCaffrey things, and as long as that is the case, Mason is nothing more than depth (three touches in the two games since McCaffrey made his season debut). Fantasy managers and the 49ers should have the same plan for Mason: break glass in case of emergency.
Deebo Samuel Sr., WR
George Kittle sat out last week, and Brandon Aiyuk is done for the season. In theory, that lines up perfectly for Deebo Samuel Sr.’s versatility to thrive, right?
Wrong.
In the loss to Seattle, Samuel accounted for 13.8% of San Francisco’s receiving yards and lost a yard on his only carry. He doesn’t have more than five grabs in a game since Week 2 and has found paydirt just once after opening the season with a touchdown against the Jets.
The arrow is pretty clearly pointing down, but the proven ability of the 49ers’ offense to be efficient keeps him in lineups. The Packers are allowing touchdowns on 31.4% of red-zone passes, the fifth-highest rate in the NFL, and a flaw that Samuel could well expose.
There is no doubt that the return of Christian McCaffrey limits some of the creative touches in Samuel’s profile. But with its backs against the wall, I expect San Francisco to manufacture more than the five touches given their WR1 last week.
That optimism is enough for me to keep Samuel ranked as a top-15 receiver.
Jauan Jennings, WR
Is Jauan Jennings the WR1 in San Francisco?
I’m not going that far just yet, but he certainly appears closer to their WR1 than their WR3. We are looking at the first player to see 10+ targets from Brock Purdy in consecutive games, a level of volume that might not sustain with George Kittle aiming to return, though a minor dip in usage wouldn’t greatly impact my confidence in labeling him as a fantasy starter.
Jaire Alexander (knee) missed the second half last week against the Bears; if he is operating at anything less than full strength, this efficient offense could take advantage of a Green Bay defense that can be overly aggressive at times.
Jennings is sitting on the WR20 line for me this week, ranking in the same tier as other talented receivers who rank second on their team in terms of target projection (namely Jaxon Smith-Njigba and DeVonta Smith)
Ricky Pearsall, WR
Week 10 was a bit of a red herring, as the production splits made it seem as if the replacement of Brandon Aiyuk was a two-person job split between Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings in something of a receiver-by-committee situation.
That’s not the case.
Jennings made it clear that he is not only the preferred option of that duo but that he might well be the best target earner on this offense. He accounted for 10 of Brock Purdy’s 21 completions on Sunday against the Seahawks while Pearsall was shut out on just two targets.
I don’t think the splits will be that drastic weekly, but that was a game that George Kittle missed, so even if Pearsall’s slice of this offense grows from where it was last week, there’s only so much upward trajectory as the fifth option in this passing game.
Do you know what Pearsall is? At best, he’s Jennings when this offense was at full speed, and that role wasn’t fantasy-viable (3-5 targets being the most likely outcome with the high-value looks going elsewhere).
A name to keep in mind this offseason as the 49ers shuffle their deck? Sure, but not one that I’m too interested in as we navigate the rest of 2024.
George Kittle, TE
We knew that George Kittle was battling a hamstring injury entering the weekend, though his being ruled inactive for Week 11 was a bit of a surprise. The All-Pro tight end has played only one full season in his NFL career (2018), so missed time isn’t something new. Nevertheless, the hope is that Kittle will be ready for the Packers this weekend.
Assuming Kittle is active for the 49ers, he’s active for you. He’s an elite option and a focal part of an efficient offense, but we’ve seen optimism rise in him post-Brandon Aiyuk injury (based on DFS ownership, the questions I get on X, etc.). Since the beginning of last season, however, the data suggests Kittle is nearly the exact same asset, regardless of Aiyuk’s presence.
With Aiyuk on the field, 2024:
- 2.43 fantasy points per target
- 2.29 yards per route
- 21% target rate
Without Aiyuk on the field, 2024:
- 2.32 fantasy points per target
- 2.44 yards per route
- 20.9% target rate
The Packers haven’t played many teams that rely on tight end production the way the 49ers do, but in those spots, they’ve allowed fantasy numbers to the position.
- Evan Engram/Brenton Strange: Nine catches, 95 yards, and a TD (10 targets)
- Trey McBride: Eight catches and 96 yards (eight targets)
I’ll be tracking Kittle’s practice habits throughout the week, though I’m cautiously optimistic that he’ll be active, which is why he sits atop my tight end rankings.