Niners WR Brandon Aiyuk drew a team-high 7 targets in Sunday night's win over the Chargers, also leading the team in receptions (6) and receiving yards (84). WR Deebo Samuel trailed by just 1 target but caught only 2 passes for 24 yards. Samuel hasn't beaten Aiyuk in targets since Week 5. TE George Kittle managed just 1 reception for 21 yards among 2 targets. WR Jahan Jennings caught all 4 of his looks for 40 yards. The 49ers head to Mexico City next Monday night to face the Cardinals.
Niners WR Brandon Aiyuk caught all 6 of his targets in Sunday's win over the Rams. He tallied 81 yards and caught a TD throw from RB Christian McCaffrey. San Francisco went without WR Deebo Samuel. McCaffrey led the team in targets and receptions, with TE George Kittle (5 targets) following McCaffrey and Aiyuk. QB Jimmy Garoppolo completed 21 of 25 passes (84%) for 235 yards and TDs to McCaffrey and Kittle.
49ers WR Deebo Samuel (hamstring) has been ruled out for Sunday’s game vs. the Rams. He leaves behind 7.7 targets per game, which should mostly be absorbed by WR Brandon Aiyuk, TE George Kittle and RB Christian McCaffrey. San Francisco could also lean on the running game more with Samuel out. WR Jauan Jennings (hamstring) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game.
Niners QB Jimmy Garoppolo racked up 303 yards and 2 TDs (plus an INT) in Sunday's lopsided loss to the Chiefs. He went 25-of-37 passing (67.6%, 8.2 yards per attempt) before turning it over to QB Brock Purdy to close out the game. WR Brandon Aiyuk led the team in targets (11) and catches (7), tallying 82 yards. TE George Kittle caught 6 of 9 targets for 98 yards and a TD. WR Ray-Ray McCloud snagged the other TD, among 4 catches for 65 yards. WR Deebo Samuel caught 5 of his 7 looks for 42 yards, adding 2 yards on his lone carry. San Francisco gets a Week 8 rematch with a Rams team it hit up for 327 total yards in a 24-9 Week 4 victory. The Rams have been a tough scoring matchup for QBs and TEs but slightly positive for WRs this season. Samuel has gone over 90 receiving yards and 100 total yards in 4 straight regular-season meetings with the Rams.
The Panthers are trading RB Christian McCaffrey to the 49ers, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. It's obviously a big upgrade in terms of supporting cast for McCaffrey. The 49ers rank 19th in points per game and 18th in yards per game, while the Panthers sit 27th in points per game and dead last in yards per game. San Francisco is also a balanced to run-leaning offense, so McCaffrey should see plenty of rushing volume. We do worry a bit about his target volume, though, in an offense that also features Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle. Overall, we'd consider this about a wash for the fantasy value of McCaffrey, who currently sits 4th among RBs in PPR points per game. We'll see if he'll play vs. the Chiefs this weekend. Carolina, meanwhile, is left with a backfield committee of D'Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard in a bad offense. We'll see exactly what that workload split looks like, but neither guy is an exciting fantasy option.
Update: Carolina will receive 2nd-, 3rd- and 4th-round picks in 2023, plus a 5th-rounder in 2024, according to Schefter.
Update: NFL Network's Ian Rapoport calls McCaffrey "likely" to play vs. the Chiefs on Sunday and adds, "expect a red-zone package." We'll see what else we hear about McCaffrey's projected Week 7 role.
Niners WR Brandon Aiyuk caught 8 balls for 83 yards and 2 TDs among 11 targets in Sunday's loss to the Falcons. Those were the only 2 TDs San Francisco scored. The 49ers won't normally attempt 41 passes, a number that QB Jimmy Garoppolo reached just once last season. But Aiyuk's 26.8% target share led the team. TE George Kittle and WR Deebo Samuel each drew 10 targets. Kittle posted an 8-83 receiving line; Samuel 7-79.
49ers TE George Kittle showed progress with 5 catches for 47 yards in Week 5 at Carolina. He made a few impressive contested catches, although he did lose one fumble. His 6 targets ranked 2nd on the team and represented a decent 20% team share. The veteran entered Sunday with only 50 yards on 6 catches across his first 2 appearances. A low-volume passing game will keep the volatility high going forward, but we’re still likely to see some spike weeks soon. Week 6 turns up a positive scoring matchup at Atlanta.
49ers TE George Kittle managed only 24 yards on 2 catches in a Week 4 win over the Rams. His 4 targets tied for 2nd on the team and represented a lackluster 14.8% share. Kittle nearly scored, but he couldn’t quite get his 2nd foot down in bounds. So, we’re looking at 2 duds in 2 appearances for the veteran. He at least ran a route on ~86% of Jimmy Garoppolo’s dropbacks — but clearly, we’re headed for volatility with the run-heavy 49ers.
49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk saw 8 targets in a Week 3 loss to Denver. That tied Deebo Samuel for the team lead. From 3 yards out, Aiyuk caught Jimmy Garoppolo’s only TD pass on a well-designed play where Deebo walled off the nearest defender. While George Kittle’s return adds volatility, Aiyuk remains an ascending talent with a high weekly ceiling. Don’t be surprised if he’s in the WR3 mix for Sunday’s divisional tilt with the Rams.
49ers TE George Kittle made his season debut Week 3 at Denver but managed only 4 catches for 28 yards. He saw 5 targets — a 17.2% share — and posted a strong 82% route rate. Brighter days are ahead for Kittle, assuming he can dodge further injury woes. Next up is a meeting with the Rams.
49ers TE George Kittle (groin) isn't listed on the final Week 3 injury report. He put in limited practices on Wednesday and Thursday and a full practice on Friday, so it looks like he's ready for a full workload against the Broncos on Sunday night. See where Kittle sits in the Week 3 TE Rankings.
49ers TE George Kittle (groin) remained limited in Thursday's practice. We're tentatively expecting him to make his 2022 debut against the Broncos on Sunday night, but check back tomorrow for another update.
49ers TE George Kittle (groin) was limited in Wednesday's practice. He returned to a limited practice last Friday before missing the Seahawks game, but it seems like he has a legitimate chance to play vs. the Broncos on Sunday night. We'll have another update tomorrow.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports 49ers QB Trey Lance suffered a "significant" right ankle injury in the Week 2 win over the Seahawks. Lance is expected to need surgery that will "likely" end his season. You can hang on to him on fantasy rosters until we get official confirmation that Lance's season is over, which figures to come tomorrow. San Francisco will turn back to QB Jimmy Garoppolo, which will mean a significant shift in the offense. The 49ers' pass rate will climb, and there will be more carries to go around since Garoppolo won't be taking many.
49ers TE George Kittle (groin) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Seahawks. He returned to a limited practice on Friday, so it seems like he at least has a good shot to be back for Week 3. Kittle’s absence is a downgrade from QB Trey Lance but boosts the target projections for WRs Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that 49ers TE George Kittle (groin) is not expected to play vs. the Seahawks today. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, meanwhile, is leaving the door open for Kittle to play. He says Kittle will be a game-time decision and is "pushing to play." But Rapoport also says Kittle's injury was originally expected to cost him 3 weeks. There's a good chance that Kittle will be limited even if he does suit up today. We won't get the 49ers' inactives until a little after 3:30 pm ET.
49ers TE George Kittle (groin) is listed as questionable for this weekend's game vs. the Seahawks after returning to a limited practice on Friday. “He looked awesome," HC Kyle Shanahan said afterward, adding that Kittle will be a game-time decision. This is a 4:05 pm ET kickoff, which might put Kittle owners in a tough spot. We'll see if we get an update on his status on Sunday morning.
49ers TE George Kittle (groin) remained sidelined on Thursday. He's looking like a long shot to play vs. the Seahawks this weekend. That's bad news for QB Trey Lance but good news for Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk's volume.
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