2023 Stats (Rank)
Points per game: 28.9 (3rd)
Total yards per game: 398.4 (2nd)
Plays per game: 60.2 (27th)
Pass Attempts + Sacks per game: 30.9 (32nd)
Drop back EPA per play: 0.3 (1st)
Rush attempts per game: 29.4 (7th)
Rush EPA per play: 0.03 (1st)
Coaching Staff
Kyle Shanahan enters his eighth season as the 49ers’ head coach, boasting four double-digit winning campaigns out of the last five seasons. All of those ended with at least a trip to the NFC Championship game. The 49ers are once again the favorites to win the NFC at +250 according to DraftKings. Very little was done at the top of the depth chart offensively as Shanahan is basically reloading and refocusing to make another run. One splash Shanahan and John Lynch did make was selecting Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall at the end of the first round as a luxury pick. This selection should lead to what already was the fourth best offense in the NFL in terms of passing yards per game (257.9). Furthermore, the 49ers look to stay as one of the more efficient offenses at keeping the ball as they were 20th in turnovers per game (1.1) last season. Fantasy managers will continue to have a field day drafting 49ers’ players onto their fantasy football rosters.
As like it’s always been, Shanahan will continue calling the plays for the 49ers’ offense. They don’t officially have an offensive coordinator in title, but Chris Foerster has been the team’s run game coordinator since 2022 when he took over for Mike McDaniel. Last season the 49ers were third in the NFL in rushing yards per game with 140.5. Foerster also doubles as the offensive line coach. Together, Shanahan, Foerster and the rest of the 49ers’ offensive staff continue to have one of the most dominating and stat-racking offenses in the NFL.
Passing Game
QB: Brock Purdy, Joshua Dobbs, Brandon Allen
WR: Brandon Aiyuk, Ronnie Bell
WR: Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings
WR: Ricky Pearsall, Jacob Cowing
TE: George Kittle, Logan Thomas
In 2023, with Purdy finishing as QB6 in total fantasy points, the 49ers will look to continue to be efficient in the passing game. Despite only attempting 27.7 passes per game last season, Purdy still managed to throw for 4.280 yards, 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. The key was him completing nearly 70% of his passes and all of his surrounding cast making plays with the ball. He was fairly consistent from a fantasy perspective as well, scoring under 15 points only four times during the season. In 2024, Purdy will have all his favorite weapons back in the saddle to make another run for a Super Bowl and fantasy football glory. It’s hard to picture Purdy matching that same amount of efficiency given how automatic the 49ers’ offense was last season, but he shouldn’t be considered any worse than a top-tier QB2 option in fantasy. He’s the ultimate “stack your roster and wait for a quarterback” in your fantasy draft type of guy. Purdy isn’t flashy, but if you blink a few times, the box score will be filled.
The receivers are of course a major factor in why Purdy is able to do what he does effectively. Aiyuk turned in an All-Pro season after finishing as WR15 in fantasy on a points per game basis last season. Samuel came in at WR13 as he continued to flex his universal skill set. While Jennings is not a guy you usually have on your fantasy roster, he’s important when it comes to making crucial plays and moving the chains for the offense. The contract situation for Aiyuk has a weird vibe and who knows what’s to come, but the 49ers are making sure they have a backup plan. Pearsall being drafted in the back half of the first round is important, but how important will be judged on what moves the team makes at receiver. He’s worth a late-round flier right now, but should the 49ers move on from either Samuel or Aiyuk, Pearsall could instantly become a FLEX player. The speedy Cowing is a long shot right now in fantasy and would be considered a solid dynasty option.
Kittle got back on track in 2023, finishing as TE5 in overall fantasy points. Last season was his first time cracking 1,000 receiving yards since 2019, but it came with risk. In seven games last season, Kittle failed to score double-digit fantasy points, but the highs were high. He had four games where he scored at least 20 fantasy points (and one with 19.6) as the big time player that he is. The 49ers bringing in Logan Thomas only confirms that they want a solid backup in case something should happen to Kittle. He should be in everyone’s top seven tight ends this season.
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Running Game
RB: Christian McCaffrey, Elijah Mitchell, Isaac Guerendo, Jordan Mason, Patrick Taylor
OL (L-R): Trent Williams, Aaron Banks, Jake Brendel, Jon Feliciano, Colton McKivitz
Unless you’ve lived under a rock, if you play fantasy football you likely know all the gaudy CMC statistics from 2023 by now. RB1 in fantasy, NFL rushing title (1,459 yards), OPOY, it goes on and on. The question is can he do it again? Armed with a new contract, good health and a scheme centered around him, I’d say yes. The biggest reason why McCaffrey is the consensus top pick in fantasy today is that he’s the epitome of when elite talent meets opportunity. Despite having other top-tier playmakers on the offense, the 49ers make it a point to get McCaffrey involved early and often. He gets Rams’ Marshall Faulk-like opportunity and executes on an elite offense. In 2023, McCaffrey cleared the next best running back by over 100 fantasy points and scored less than 20 in only four out of 17 games played. He’ll be backed up once again by Mitchell, who is one of the better reserves in the league. Rookie speedster Guerendo will compete with Mason and Taylor, but also could return kicks.
The offensive line will be stout once again and should always be the case as long as it’s anchored by the ageless Williams. The 49ers drafted Dominic Puni in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft and he will be a name to look out for. The unit is veteran filled and coming off a season in which only the Ravens and Bears had more rushing yards. Brock Purdy was only sacked 28 times last season behind this line which was 26th in the league. These guys won’t score the fantasy points, but they’ll be a big reason the guys mentioned above do.
Win Total
With the 49ers O/U for wins set at 11.5 (via DraftKings), it’s hard not to push the over on this one. They’ve hit double-digit wins four out of five of their last five seasons and 12 or more wins in the last two. They’ll be tested early on by teams like the Jets, Rams and Cardinals, but there’s a chance they may not see their first loss until Week 7 against the Chiefs. If you watched two of their last three games in the 2024 postseason against the Packers and Lions, you could see that they aren’t invincible and can be had. A blowout loss against the Ravens late last season showed you this as well. While they still have a collection of All-Pro talent at almost every position and are still the class of the NFC, coming in right at 11 wins doesn’t sound unrealistic. Teams like the Packers, Dolphins and Lions will be more prepared to take them down this season. I’m taking the under at -125.
