In Week 5 on Sunday afternoon, the San Francisco 49ers will host the Arizona Cardinals. The spread currently stands at 49ers -7.5, with a game total of 50.5. The Cardinals’ implied points are 21.5, and the 49ers’ implied points are 29.
Here’s fantasy football start-sit advice for every 49ers skill player who has the potential to make an impact during the game.
Brock Purdy, QB
Like everyone else, I watch the games every week and, for the most part, we know what to expect. Not from a production standpoint, but when it comes to how certain players/offenses operate – the Steelers are going to bludgeon you, the Cowboys are going to operate an air raid, etc.
I say that because my default assumption for the 49ers was that of a well-oiled machine, an offense that was always on time and relied very little in the way of improv.
That’s not what I saw last week. Brock Purdy was moving around more than normal and taking some chances, which I don’t associate with this Kyle Shanahan offense. When it comes to his fantasy prospects, I loved seeing this.
Efficiency was his calling card last season, but posting one of the 10 best YPA seasons of all time isn’t exactly something I’m labeling as sustainable. If we can add a dash of risk-taking (i.e. George Kittle’s touchdown last week) to the meal Purdy cooks weekly, he could enter the second tier of signal caller.
Arizona has allowed the third-highest opponent passer rating this season, a number that is the direct result of a video game-ish 78.6% opponent completion percentage, a rate that is 5.2 percentage points clear of any other defense.
Purdy is the only quarterback with multiple 25-yard completions in all four weeks this season, and if that streak continues through this week, my QB6 ranking might prove to be too low. He attempted 46 passes in two games against the Cardinals last season, and five of them resulted in touchdowns.
If there’s a time to buy Purdy, it’s right now. You get access to this matchup but, more importantly, you position yourself to gain from a Rams-Dolphins-Lions close to the fantasy season (and another Cardinals matchup if your league extends to Week 18).
Jordan Mason, RB
All reports suggest that this is Jordan Mason’s backfield for at least the next month, and nothing about his usage indicates that regression is coming our way.
Mason has finished three of four weeks this season as a top-12 running back, a streak he’ll have every chance to extend this week. No, he’s not Christian McCaffrey, but he’s assumed a similar role, and CMC tore apart this vulnerable Cardinals defense almost exactly a year ago (Week 4, 2023: 27 touches, 177 yards, and four touchdowns).
In case you’ve been living under a rock – Mason is pacing for 2,142 yards if he holds this role for the remainder of the season.
Jordan Mason 🤝 end zone
📺: #NEvsSF on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/ahI493UMpE— NFL (@NFL)
Deebo Samuel Sr., WR
Deebo Samuel hauled in a 53-yard bomb in the third quarter last week (second career catch of 40+ air yards), proving that he was able to work himself into game shape rather quickly.
He only had five receiving yards outside of the big play, but seeing a handful of targets and being handed the ball twice is all I wanted to see in his return to action. There’s some risk involved in Samuel’s profile, but with Kittle (23.7% reception share) dinged up, you can feel great about playing this offensive weapon.
Brandon Aiyuk, WR
We’ve yet to see any signs of life from Brandon Aiyuk (68th of 72 qualified receivers in production compared to expectation, -32.2%), and while I’m willing to write off some of the struggles to limited reps this summer, we are nearing put-up or shut-up time.
On the bright side, Purdy did look his way in the end zone despite double coverage, a level of confidence that we had seen in previous seasons and part of why I thought he had WR1 potential this season. I still like there is a fantasy star bubbling beneath the surface here — we just need to see it.
If you’re struggling to blindly trust Aiyuk, I get it. He’s yet to finish a game better than WR35 this season (Ja’Lynn Polk has a top-35 finish this season, as does his teammate DeMario Douglas, despite playing for an offense that is the polar opposite of what the 49ers have).
If I go down with the ship because I bought in on Aiyuk at a discount after a slow month, I’m OK with that. I’m going to go ahead and buy some more stock in him where I can at a discount.
Jauan Jennings, WR
Jauan Jennings is a better player than most give him credit for. I’m not suggesting that he will lead a healthy version of San Francisco’s passing game in targets (six) and receiving yards (88) like he did last week, but his standing as the game’s best receiver handcuff is legitimate.
I suspect that Aiyuk will round into form with time, and Samuel is featured in the short passing game, making Jennings a tough weekly sell when both are active, even in this uber-efficient offense. That said, he’s done more than enough to remain on rosters.
Week 4 routes run:
- Aiyuk: 27
- Samuel: 25
- Kittle: 24
- Jennings: 20
- Juszczyk: 18
- Mason: 16
This is a talented team that simply features the best matchup. Sometimes that’ll be Jennings, but usually, it won’t be.
George Kittle, TE
Update: Kittle was listed as questionable but is expected to play in Week 5.
In the event that you forgot what George Kittle was capable of, he proved his health with a touchdown catch in triple coverage last week against the Patriots. He’s pulled down 15 of his 17 targets this season, and while the week-over-week consistency may never be there, Kittle’s ceiling is great enough to chase at a position that offers next to zero stability.
Neither Sam LaPorta nor Dalton Kincaid have had success in their matchups with the Cardinals this season, but that’s not stopping me from ranking Kittle as a top-five option this week.
