The San Francisco 49ers will face the Seattle Seahawks in Week 11. 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 11 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Brock Purdy, QB
Brock Purdy celebrated the return of Christian McCaffrey by giving fantasy managers their fourth top-10 finish from him this season. He’s averaged over nine yards per pass in each of San Francisco’s past four wins, and with them favored to win this week, it’s plenty reasonable to project another ultra-efficient effort from their QB.
This team may be missing Brandon Aiyuk, but Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall seem capable of picking up that slack. McCaffrey adds a dimension to this offense that few have access to, and with Purdy showcasing an increased willingness to scramble, this is the profile of a top-10 QB the rest of the way.
As for this matchup, we saw Purdy light them up for 255 yards and three touchdowns on just 28 passes in Week 6. The Seahawks defense is one that I trust against below-average offenses and target otherwise.
Per our Offensive+ metric, the 49ers are a top-10 offense thus far despite being bitten by the injury bug. With this team trending near full strength, I’m confident in their projection this week, and that results in Purdy being ranked as a starter, with confidence, for me.
Christian McCaffrey, RB
The long-awaited return of fantasy’s 1.01 wasn’t overwhelming from a box score standpoint (107 yards with no scores on 19 touches), but the usage checked every box. He made a big play on a Brock Purdy fadeaway jumper that reminded us all of just how different he is from the rest of the backs in this league.
If Week 10 was a ramping up of CMC, the rest of the NFL (and opposing fantasy teams) is in trouble. In two games against the Seahawks last season, all McCaffrey did was turn 35 carries into 259 yards and two scores.
No big deal.
He also caught six of seven targets in both of those convincing victories. The version of McCaffrey that you drafted in August is here to carry your team during the home stretch.
Let’s go!
Jordan Mason, RB
We entered Week 10 hopeful that Jordan Mason’s standalone value would remain while Christian McCaffrey was gradually eased back into action for a team with its eyes set on January.
We were wrong.
Mason was on the field for just 4.9% of San Francisco’s offensive snaps, while CMC carried 13 times and earned seven targets. On the bright side, there is no guessing for Week 11 — Mason is one of the top five handcuff running backs in the NFL and needs to remain rostered. However, he has zero chance of being ranked as a Flex-worthy option as long as McCaffrey is active.
We can discuss Mason’s lack of versatility (just 6.9% of his touches this season have been receptions) and its impact on how the 49ers’ offense functions should he be given the opportunity to lead this backfield another time, he’s nowhere near your starting lineup this week.
Deebo Samuel Sr., WR
Deebo Samuel Sr. is experiencing a bit of a role change; while I have questions about its impact on his consistency for the remainder of the season, I’m not worried about this matchup against a divisional opponent he has destroyed throughout his career.
Samuel’s aDOT is up 23.3% from last season, and that has resulted in a dip in efficiency. Can he continue to land the big plays in this role? This season, he has a gain of 25+ yards in six of seven healthy games, so the early returns are a resounding ‘Yes,’ though any time the ball is in the air longer than it is in his hands creates a natural downside, no matter what you think of Samuel.
The risk is minimal when you consider that Samuel is a uniquely talented player who has at least three carries in each of his past four healthy games, including Christian McCaffrey’s season debut last week. I love that Samuel has four red-zone touches over his past two games and I love it even more as a trend he is taking into a plus spot.
The Seahawks are allowing the ninth-most yards per catch after the reception, making them vulnerable to yet another Samuel explosion spot.
Samuel vs. Seahawks, career:
- Week 6, 2024: 20.7 PPR points
- Week 14, 2023: 34 PPR points
- Week 12, 2023: 22.4 PPR points
- Week 2, 2022: 14.7 PPR points
- Week 4, 2021: 35.7 PPR points
He’s overachieved expectations by over 14% in all of those games, averaging 2.6 fantasy points per target in the process. Samuel is in the WR1 conversation this week, and we know that he hits big when he hits. I expect McCaffrey to attract a lot of DFS attention, and that could leave his explosive teammate under-owned for what his profile suggests is possible.
Jauan Jennings, WR
Jauan Jennings returned last week (hip) and made his presence known by leading the 49ers in catches (three), targets (five), and receiving yards (59) in the first half. He didn’t slow down after intermission and the scripted plays ran out, finishing with seven grabs for 93 yards on a 32.4% target share.
49ers WR snap shares, Week 10:
- Jennings: 90.2%
- Deebo Samuel Sr.: 78.7%
- Ricky Pearsall: 62.3%
Everything in his statistical profile reflects that Jennings is a good player — not just a good fill-in for Brandon Aiyuk but a sustainably productive receiver in this league who just happens to be a part of a loaded roster.
In Tampa Bay last week, Brock Purdy threw seven passes to the slot and five went to Jennings. Generally speaking, I love having that role on my roster, but this matchup gives me pause. Through 10 weeks, the Seahawks have been the best defense when it comes to limiting slot production, allowing just 5.8 yards per attempt to that spot on the field, half a yard clear of any other unit in the league.
This is a highly efficient offense that doesn’t need to challenge the strengths of opposing defenses, and that works in a bit more of a floor this week than I’d normally assign Jennings. For DFS, I’ll be looking elsewhere, but for season-long play, I still think he is a viable Flex option ranking alongside the likes of his counterpart in this game, Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Ricky Pearsall, WR
Ricky Pearsall’s story is as good as it gets, and I loved what I saw in his first-quarter, 46-yard touchdown last week.
The Brandon Aiyuk injury opens up a door for a third option to retain some value in theory, but I tend to be of the belief that the Big Three (Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel Sr., and George Kittle) assume most of the vacated usage.
First NFL TD for Ricky Pearsall ‼️
📺 #SFvsTB on FOX pic.twitter.com/J8kjN1jYLB
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) November 10, 2024
Even if that thought proves wrong, Jauan Jennings was playing ahead of Pearsall last week, making this at best a two-man race for a role that might be valuable. I have no problem in holding onto the rookie due to the raw talent and the efficiency of this offense, but asking him to repeat what he did last week (4-73-1) simply isn’t reasonable.
I have him ranked in the same range as the secondary Packers receivers this week, but a step behind all of them because they have upward mobility when it comes to role. Pearsall’s best case is the fourth option, and that carries with it a capped ceiling.
George Kittle, TE
That’s now seven straight games with at least 14 PPR points for George Kittle, tying him for the longest streak by a tight end since the start of 2012 (Travis Kelce owns the two longest streaks over that stretch).
Last week, he got there with a picturesque 11-yard score in the back of the end zone, showcasing nice finesse to complement the physicality that we see from him weekly. Kittle has a catch of at least 29 yards in four straight and figures to remain heavily involved as this offense adjusts to life without Brandon Aiyuk.
I was encouraged to see his valuable usage remain intact despite Christian McCaffrey making his season debut (at least one end-zone target in five of his past six games, multiple such looks in three of his past five), and he remains my top-ranked player at the position for the remainder of the 2024 season.
Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers Trends
Seattle Seahawks
Team: The Seahawks have six more committed than forced turnovers, their worst rate through nine games in the 2000s (it’s only their fifth time over that stretch with a negative turnover differential).
QB: In Weeks 1-5, Geno Smith’s quick pass rate was 83.8% when not pressured, but it has dropped to 61.1% since.
Offense: Seattle has lost consecutive games, and in those contests, they’ve converted just five of 22 third downs (22.7%).
Defense: The Seahawks have allowed opponents to pick up just 37.4% of their third downs this season, their best since 2018 (35%) and much improved from last season (46.3%).
Fantasy: We entered the season with optimism around Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and he’s beginning to realize that potential at a high level. Can it stick?
2024: With DK Metcalf on the field
- 11.9% under expectation
- 6.6 aDOT
- 4 TDs on 131 targets
2024: Without DK Metcalf on the field
- 27.6% over expectation
- 13.6 aDOT
- 3 TDs on 37 targets
Betting: Unders are 8-1-2 in Seattle’s past 11 road games played on short rest.
San Francisco 49ers
Team: The 49ers won six straight games following their bye last season, a run that started with a win in Florida. San Francisco came out of their Week 9 bye and won in Tampa Bay last weekend.
QB: Brock Purdy’s average depth of throw is up 11% from last season and ranks second in the NFL, trailing only Jordan Love.
Offense: On a per-play basis this season, the 49ers are 1.44 yards better than their opponent. That rate leads the league – in fact, the Ravens (+1.38) are the only other team above one yard.
Defense: San Francisco owns the seventh-lowest sack rate this season when blitzing (5.3%).
Fantasy: In his season debut, Christian McCaffrey notched just the sixth game this season with 13 carries and 65 receiving yards – so much for easing him back into action!
Betting: After covering five straight home divisional games, the 49ers have failed to cover each of their past three, a run that includes a 12-point win as a 14.5-point favorite against these Seahawks in Week 14 last season.