Chris Gimino called Brock Purdy the best Round-10 upside target at quarterback. Gimino highlighted Purdy’s career 8.9 yards per attempt in Kyle Shanahan’s system, a figure he believes proves Purdy is more than a system passenger. He noted the new contract as evidence the 49ers view Purdy as their long-term answer and emphasized the supporting cast—Christian McCaffrey returning, plus Kittle, Aiyuk and Deebo—creates weekly top-10 passing ceilings. Gimino also pointed out Purdy quietly added scramble yards behind a leaky offensive line last season, giving him a small but valuable rushing floor that many late QBs lack. In best-ball formats where spike weeks matter, Gimino likes pairing Purdy with earlier-round 49ers pass catchers, arguing there are few quarterbacks this deep who offer both multi-TD upside and stacking optionality.

Pat Fantasy Dog Pound advised letting Brandon Aiyuk slide well past ADP until we get hard news on his health. Pat noted that Aiyuk has been nothing more than "a cheer-leader on the sidelines" so far in camp, and local beat writers have already floated the possibility of the 49ers opening him on PUP. He reminded drafters that Kyle Shanahan often plays things close to the vest— "you can’t trust anything Shanahan says because he lies"— so waiting for official roster moves is essential. Pat is willing to scoop Aiyuk only if he tumbles multiple rounds, but otherwise prefers redirecting that Round-4/5 capital toward healthy upside receivers like Chris Godwin or George Pickens, betting that any missed September games from Aiyuk would torpedo the advance-rate on early-season heavy best-ball builds.

Evan Abrams leaned under—or at minimum pass—on San Francisco’s newly posted 10-win total, calling the four-win jump from last year’s six victories a classic "book overreaction." He noted that in the past decade only three other teams (2024 Chargers, 2021 Broncos, 2021 Niners) have been asked to clear nine wins the season after finishing with six, and that subset is 1-2 to the over. Abrams tallied at least 27 departures from last year’s roster, highlighted by an injured Deebo Samuel, and expects three rookies (Collins, Williams, Martin) to start on defense out of the gate. While he concedes the schedule is the league’s softest, Abrams thinks the magnitude of turnover—plus lingering questions about Samuel’s health—makes 11-6 a tall order, especially in a division he ranks as "very good top to bottom." His advice: fade the hype now or wait for the market to inflate further and grab an alt-under once public money pours in on Shanahan.

Chris Raybon told listeners he already added a 49ers Super Bowl future at 16-to-1, calling it the only NFC team outside the Eagles and Chiefs that consistently punches a ticket in February. He noted that eight straight Super Bowls have featured some combination of Tom Brady, Philadelphia, Kansas City, the Bengals, the Rams or San Francisco, underscoring Kyle Shanahan’s proven postseason floor. Raybon’s model ranks the Niners dead-last in schedule difficulty—an enormous swing from a top-five gauntlet in 2024—and credits them with zero negative rest spots. He expects massive positive regression after last season’s 2-6 record in one-possession games and crippling injury luck (No. 1 in Adjusted Games Lost). With a new special-teams coordinator fixing 2024’s league-worst unit and Robert Saleh back in the building to tighten a defense that did shed high-priced veterans, Raybon believes the path to a top-two NFC seed is wide open. The roster question marks at linebacker, safety and WR3 are real, but he trusts Shanahan to scheme around them and thinks the current 6.0% implied championship probability undervalues San Francisco’s ceiling.

Stuckey said the 49ers are one of his favorite upside buys rather than a straight win-total play. He pointed out that San Francisco was obliterated by injuries in 2024—first in Adjusted Games Lost and bottom-3 on both sides of the ball—yet still finished 8-9 despite going 2-6 in one-score games and fielding the league’s worst special-teams unit. With a new coordinator in that third phase, regression in close games and health alone could tack on multiple wins. The schedule is the real cheat code: his model makes it the NFL’s easiest and shows a net +33 rest-day edge after ranking top-five toughest last year. He concedes the roster lost a record amount of free-agent talent (Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga, Javon Hargrave, Deebo Samuel, Charvarius Ward, etc.) and the defensive depth chart now leans heavily on rookies like Mike Hall Williams and Upton Stout, plus a patchwork secondary. Still, he projects 10.6 wins and sees far more paths to an 11-plus ceiling than to a collapse. Stuckey recommended skipping the juiced 10.5 win total and instead sprinkling on the +160 division price or a 16-to-1 Super Bowl ticket to capture the upside his numbers suggest.

JSU revealed that in 500-plus drafts last season he had zero shares of Christian McCaffrey, opting instead for Bijan Robinson whenever he wanted an early running back. The rationale remains the same for 2025: McCaffrey has logged massive dual-threat workloads for years, and the pattern of one dominant season followed by a banged-up campaign is tough to ignore. JSU expects eventual decline or missed games to catch up with CMC, making it too risky to invest a top-two pick in Best Ball where you cannot replace injured studs. He prefers to spend that capital on younger backs or elite wide receivers and live with the consequences.

Josh Norris said Ricky Pearsall is the 49er wideout he keeps drafting because the rookie should inherit much of Shanahan’s pre-snap motion and jet-sweep usage after finally looking 100 % healthy late last season ("he wasn’t really himself until Week 9 or 10"). Pearsall goes in the same seventh-round pocket as Brandon Ayuk, yet Ayuk enters camp dinged up while Pearsall brings fresh legs and scheme-versatile movement skills the staff already highlighted in spring practices. With San Francisco’s offense projected top-five in scoring and their defense likely to regress, Norris believes Pearsall offers similar weekly ceilings to Ayuk at a fraction of the injury risk, making him a priority pick in that ADP zone.

Josh Norris explained that he is drafting Jauan Jennings well above market because the veteran wideout offers inexpensive exposure to Kyle Shanahan’s passing game while Brandon Ayuk battles an injury and carries the exact same draft cost tier. Norris emphasized Jennings’ unique skill set— elite run-blocking keeps him on the field, and he excels at settling into zone coverage and using “the dark arts” of subtle push-offs to create space. That combination produced multiple 20-plus–point spike weeks last season, and with the 49ers owning an easy schedule and every offensive starter still intact, Norris expects similar boom weeks in 2024. He views Jennings as the perfect late-round WR6/7 who can single-handedly win a Best Ball playoff week.

Josh Norris argued that George Kittle should go at least two rounds earlier than his current 5.01 ADP. While Brock Bowers and Trey McBride are being drafted in Round 2, Kittle—who has already posted three separate seasons as a top-3 tight end—is sitting three full rounds later. Norris noted that whenever one of the 49ers’ core skill players misses time, the remaining trio tends to "go nuclear," giving Kittle weekly 25-point spike-week potential. With San Francisco’s defense possibly regressing on paper and Kyle Shanahan’s offense still projected to rank top-5 in scoring, Norris believes Kittle can realistically finish as the overall TE1 or TE2. That sort of ceiling, coupled with the large draft-capital gap versus Bowers/McBride, makes Kittle one of the best value picks in Best Ball drafts right now.

Andy Holloway pushed back on McCaffrey’s lofty ADP, telling Jason Moore he "really doesn’t think it’s going to work out" for the veteran back in 2025. Holloway framed McCaffrey as one of the biggest gambles in fantasy drafts after last year’s Achilles and knee issues cost him the bulk of 2024. Even though beat-writer reports say McCaffrey looks fully recovered this spring, Holloway emphasized the possibility of re-injury and the mounting age-plus-workload concerns, concluding that using a top-five pick on him is more risk than he is willing to assume.

Mike Wright declared that he is comfortable drafting Christian McCaffrey as early as 1.01 and called landing him in the second round of a 10-team, three-wide mock a moral obligation. Wright acknowledged the "absolutely a gamble" element—McCaffrey missed most of 2024 with Achilles and knee injuries—but argued that a recent 32 Beat Writers report described him looking like his 2023 self with "extra pep" in San Francisco’s running game. If that health holds, Wright believes McCaffrey is a near-lock for another top-three RB finish and very possibly the runaway RB1, making the risk well worth the potential league-winning reward.

Heath Cummings said Brock Purdy is one of the easiest offseason discounts to exploit. In his leagues he’s seen managers sour on Purdy after what they view as a "down" fantasy season and a supposed lack of elite ceiling, even though Purdy still posted over 4,200 yards and ranked top-10 in EPA per play. Cummings noted that these lower-ceiling quarterbacks are exactly the archetype that gets panic-purchased once injuries and bye weeks arrive, so scooping Purdy now at mid-QB2 prices sets you up either with a cheap Superflex starter or with trade ammunition that appreciates in-season. He recommended floating second-round rookie picks or depth receivers to land Purdy before the market hardens in September.

Kerrane cannot understand why drafters keep pricing George Kittle in the early fifth round. He reminded listeners that the same discount existed last year when skeptics doubted 49ers pass volume—then San Francisco threw more and Kittle delivered multiple 25-point weeks. Now the offense may have to pass even more with reports ranking the 49ers defense near the bottom of the league and injuries thinning the receiving corps (Deebo departure rumors, Brandon Aiyuk ACL, Ricky Pearsall camp injury). Kerrane expects Brock Purdy to lean heavily on his All-Pro tight end again, making Kittle’s combination of big-play ability and red-zone usage an easy smash at pick 50-55 on both Underdog and DraftKings.

Erik Beimfohr said he is "about to move Brock Purdy way up" because the 49ers quarterback keeps slipping into the back of the double-digit rounds despite checking every box drafters chase at the position. Purdy finished 2024 first in yards per attempt (9.3) and second in EPA per play, yet his Underdog ADP sits 15–20 spots behind Jared Goff and Bo Nix, quarterbacks Beimfohr argues have identical pocket-passer profiles but significantly lower per-attempt efficiency. With Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle all healthy, San Francisco averaged 0.56 EPA per drop-back—nearly double the league average—giving Purdy weekly 25-point ceilings even without rushing juice. Beimfohr stressed that drafters can snag Purdy around pick 115, stack him with at least one of his yak monsters, and walk away with a fringe top-5 projection while everyone else pays a round earlier for less efficient arms.

Greg Brainos called Jauan Jennings a screaming value in late Best Ball Mania rounds. Brainos said Kyle Shanahan trusts Jennings on money downs—San Francisco repeatedly turned to him on 3rd-and-medium last season because of his strong hands and bully-ball mentality. With Brandon Ayuk still "hoping" to be ready for Week 1 after shoulder surgery and Deebo Samuel perennially nursing muscle tweaks, Brainos expects Jennings to log heavy snaps out of the gate and possibly pace the Niners in routes until the starters are 100 percent. Even once Ayuk returns, Brainos thinks Jennings’ reliability keeps him on the field in 11-personnel packages, making him the kind of cheap, correlated Week-17 bring-back that can swing best-ball playoff weeks.

Greg Brainos pushed back on the idea that Christian McCaffrey’s price will keep climbing. He doesn’t see drafters letting McCaffrey leapfrog Malik Nabers, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Nico Collins or Puka Nacua, and doubts the consensus will ever rank him above Jahmyr Gibbs. Brainos expects the veteran to settle in the 1.06–1.08 range all summer, meaning there’s minimal closing-line value left at today’s cost.

Davis Mattek said he is hammering Christian McCaffrey at his current late-first ADP because he believes the market is about to push him up to the Jahmyr Gibbs/Puka Nacua range once drafters digest the steady stream of good news on the running back’s "German-engineered" Achilles. Mattek pointed to multiple glowing reports from 49ers coaches and independent injury analysts that McCaffrey is already moving without restriction. Given McCaffrey’s unrivaled per-game ceiling and bell-cow usage in Kyle Shanahan’s offense, Mattek thinks drafters will soon realize he should be the 1.01 whenever he’s healthy. He is loading up before that price correction hits and recommends best-ball players do the same.

Davis Mattek called rookie Isaac Guerendo a "huge win" any time he lasts into the double-digit rounds, especially on rosters that fade Christian McCaffrey. Guerendo ran a blazing 4.33 forty at 221 lbs, giving him the second-best speed score in this year’s class and the same athletic profile that turned Elijah Mitchell into an immediate RB1 under Kyle Shanahan. Mattek noted the 49ers gave him a $255k guaranteed contract—more than Day-3 backs Tyler Allgeier or Elijah Mitchell received—signaling intent to keep him on the 53. With CMC entering age-28 territory and already nursing a heavy workload, Mattek thinks San Francisco will spell him more than people expect, opening a path to 8-10 weekly touches and a full-workhorse scenario if McCaffrey misses time. He prefers Guerendo over veteran handcuffs like Tyler Allgeier because the rookie’s ADP still sits outside the top-200 despite genuine league-winning upside.

Pat Fantasy Dog Pound warned drafters that Brandon Aiyuk’s summer leg issue could linger into camp and even land him on the regular-season PUP list. Pat pointed out that Aiyuk is still golfing in a full compression sleeve while other veterans—he specifically cited Stefon Diggs—have already shed all protection. That contrast has Pat worried Aiyuk will open camp doing side work instead of participating in team drills, a scenario that would trigger at least a four-week absence if the 49ers place him on reserve/PUP after final cuts. Pat is willing to grab Aiyuk only when he falls several picks past ADP in the final Puppy rooms, but he prefers redirecting that capital to receivers with cleaner medical outlooks or spending it on scarce mid-range tight ends. His bottom line: don’t assume the discount disappears once July reports arrive because the injury smoke has a real chance to intensify.

Conner Allen said Christian McCaffrey is mispriced at 22-1 for Offensive Player of the Year and called it a classic buy-low opportunity. Allen argued that when healthy McCaffrey virtually guarantees top-three scrimmage yards thanks to an every-down role, heavy red-zone usage and Kyle Shanahan’s screen/angle-route obsession. He reminded listeners the award has become “best non-QB on a winning team,” and San Francisco projects for 12-plus wins because of the league’s softest unique-opponent trio (Giants, Browns, Bears) on top of the NFC and AFC South draw. Allen added that four of the last five OPOY winners came from top-two seeds, the exact script a healthy McCaffrey is likely to follow in a 17-game slate. Locking in 22-1 now banks closing-line value before camp reports confirm he’s 100 %.

Conner Allen believes 20-1 is a buy-low tag on Nick Bosa for Defensive Player of the Year. Bosa racked up 18.5 and 15.5 sacks the two seasons before last year’s injury-marred campaign, yet books are pricing him closer to fringe contenders than to co-favorites Micah Parsons and Myles Garrett at 7-1. Allen expects San Francisco’s revamped interior—highlighted by second-year tackle Kalia Davis and vet Maliek Collins—to force quarterbacks up into Bosa’s path, restoring his usual league-leading pressure totals. With the 49ers projected for 12-plus wins against the NFL’s softest strength of schedule, Allen thinks Bosa only needs a typical 15-17 sack season to wrest narrative back from younger names. He called the number a rare discount on a household star and expects it to close near 10-1 once preseason reports confirm Bosa is fully healthy.

Greg Brainos said he is smashing George Kittle at his mid-fifth-round Best Ball Mania ADP because the veteran still owns overall TE1 upside. Brainos pointed out that San Francisco just shipped out Deebo Samuel and could open the season with Brandon Aiyuk nursing an injury, leaving Kittle as Brock Purdy’s most established target. Purdy led the league in play-action EPA per attempt last year and consistently hit Kittle on 20-plus-yard seam routes, a connection Brainos expects to grow in year two together. He added that Kyle Shanahan’s scheme forces linebackers to honor Christian McCaffrey on outside-zone looks, creating wide-open middle-of-the-field windows for Kittle, whose career 2.27 yards per route run still ranks second among active tight ends. Because Brainos believes only Kittle, Trey McBride and Brock Bowers offer true difference-making ceilings after Travis Kelce, drafting Kittle lets drafters stick to a 2-TE build and dedicate late picks to other positions without sacrificing weekly upside.

Hartitz said if Deebo Samuel’s lingering health issues extend into September, Brandon Aiyuk could command an ‘actual alpha’ target share for the first time in his career. He believes even 90 % of the 2023 version of Aiyuk—who ranked fourth in yards per route run (3.02) and seventh in fantasy points per target—would be enough to push him into the top-15 receivers. Hartitz mentioned that Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings will play roles, but neither has ever shown the after-catch explosiveness (5.7 YAC per reception) or separation skills (77th-percentile open-score per ESPN) of Aiyuk. If Samuel misses extended time, San Francisco’s 28-point implied weekly totals give Aiyuk double-digit touchdown upside at a late-third-round ADP that is currently baking in injury fear.

Hartitz admitted he briefly toyed with ranking rookie Zamir White (“Gentie” in the transcription) as RB3 overall but has moved Christian McCaffrey back ahead of every challenger. He cited three main points: (1) McCaffrey’s role as the unquestioned focal point—new OC Klint Kubiak already said the offense ‘runs through CMC,’ and with Deebo Samuel banged up the running back could see a career-high target share; (2) San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan attack averaged 2.64 points per drive last season, while the Raiders offense ranking 31st in EPA per play gives White far less touchdown equity; (3) proven weekly ceiling—McCaffrey led all RBs in 30-plus point fantasy outings in both 2022 and 2023, whereas White is still a projection in a bottom-tier offense. Hartitz concluded he is no longer passing CMC at the 1.06-1.08 range regardless of format.

Bloom advised bypassing Trey McBride and rookie Brock Bowers at their inflated ADPs because drafters can land George Kittle three rounds later. In best-ball, rostering multiple tight ends mitigates Kittle’s weekly injury risk while capturing his unrivaled spike-week upside (five finishes of TE3 or better in 2023). Bloom stressed that opportunity cost matters more than positional scarcity: paying up early for McBride/Bowers costs access to the thinning running-back tier, whereas Kittle’s later tag preserves roster flexibility without sacrificing ceiling.

Pat Fantasy Dog Pound said George Kittle is a ‘really good click right now’ because he’s one of the few tight ends capable of dropping a 30-point week. The play becomes even stronger if you’re fading Brandon Aiyuk or waiting on injury news for the 49ers’ receiver room—any missed time by Aiyuk or Jauan Jennings funnels targets to Kittle. Pat reminded viewers that Kittle’s 2.31 yards per route run last season trailed only Travis Kelce among tight ends and that he ranked top-3 in tight-end red-zone target share despite missing a game. Given those spike-week traits, Pat is comfortable selecting him a round ahead of ADP when building San Francisco stacks or chasing early elite TE production.

Davis Mattek noted that UnderDog opened Brandon Aiyuk’s Week 1 receiving line at a robust 65.5 yards despite lingering hamstring chatter and trade rumors. Mattek sees that number as a strong indication bookmakers expect Aiyuk to be fully healthy and retain the 25% first-read target share he owned down the stretch last year. Players with Week 1 props above 60 yards have historically finished top-15 in seasonal receiving yards, so Mattek has moved Aiyuk ahead of Tee Higgins and DK Metcalf in his Best Ball rankings and is grabbing the over on 65.5. He believes a contract-year explosion could push Aiyuk into the top-five fantasy wideouts by December.

Pat Fantasy Dog Pound said George Kittle is an auto-click if he is still on the board around pick 55. In this draft Kittle slid past both Jaylen Waddle and George Pickens—something Pat noted rarely happens in sharp Best Ball Mania rooms where elite tight ends normally dry up in the early-40s. He framed the fall as pure closing-line value: you lock in a proven weekly difference-maker at a point in the draft where the remaining wide-outs are WR3 types. Pat stressed that grabbing Kittle here lets you bank onesie ceiling while the rest of the room continues to chase receivers, smoothing roster construction and freeing you to pound other positions later.

Billy Jones flagged George Kittle as the tight end most likely to jump a tier because he occupies a lonely ‘dead zone’ in current drafts—there’s a steep talent drop after the elite three, then nothing until late. With stacking partners Brock Purdy and Brandon Aiyuk already affordable and the Atlanta matchup in Week 17 drawing game-stack attention, Jones anticipates drafters moving Kittle up multiple spots to avoid the flat tier behind him. He suggests grabbing Kittle at cost now, before schedule-obsessed drafters finish their re-alignment and push him into the early-6th round.

Tyler Sullivan expressed "lowercase concern" about betting Christian McCaffrey at +370 (third-shortest) for Comeback Player of the Year. Entering his age-29 season, McCaffrey led the NFL in touches during his last fully healthy campaign (2023) and subsequently dealt with Achilles and PCL injuries—mirroring the post-2019 drop-off he experienced in Carolina after a 403-touch year. Sullivan added that San Francisco’s offseason talent exodus, headlined by Debo Samuel, could funnel even more gadget and backfield touches to McCaffrey, compounding injury risk. High volume, advancing age, and a lengthy injury log make CMC a shaky futures bet and a fragile first-round pick in early fantasy drafts.

Pat Fantasy Dog Pound advocated grabbing Jauan Jennings around pick 170 as an Eliminator safety blanket. He expects Brandon Aiyuk to have another slow start—last year’s hold-in led to rusty early-season tape, and this season Aiyuk is returning from a season-ending injury that could land him on PUP. Jennings, meanwhile, posted a 72% route participation rate over the final six games and drew praise from the coaching staff for his blocking and reliability. Pat likes Jennings because the veteran can supply usable scores in Weeks 1–3 when six of twelve entries advance, giving managers the freedom to stash rookie flyers like Luther Burden who might not pop until October.

Ran Carthon touted the 49ers as a futures slam-dunk thanks to an extremely forgiving 2025 slate—only three opponents were playoff teams last year. He expects a fully healthy core of George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, and Christian McCaffrey to elevate Brock Purdy, while new DC Robert Saleh and DL coach Kris Kocurek rebuild a ferocious front. Carthon predicted San Francisco finishes top-five in both sacks and tackles for loss, making their DST a priority target in best-ball formats and a weekly DFS juggernaut whenever priced below the top tier. He recommended grabbing NFC championship futures now before the market bakes in their schedule advantage.

Ran Carthon doubled down on his earlier Niners love, this time drilling into the pass-rush upside. He said a fully healthy core on offense lets Kyle Shanahan play from ahead, which in turn gives new defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and long-time DL whisperer Chris Kocurek the green light to attack. Carthon highlighted that the unit is "younger and fresher" up front than it has been in years, and predicted San Francisco will finish inside the league’s top five in both sacks and tackles for loss. He encouraged bettors to look at team sack-leader props and urged best-ball drafters to treat the 49ers DST as a priority target rather than waiting for a later tier.

Pete Overzet said he is comfortable scooping Jauan Jennings in the double-digit rounds, calling the veteran a potential “alpha” if San Francisco’s wide-receiver room thins out. Because Jennings is practically free, Overzet likes pairing him with Brock Purdy and Brandon Aiyuk to complete an inexpensive 49ers double-stack. The logic is simple: Purdy routinely spreads the ball, and any spike in Jennings’ snap share could translate into week-winning scores while most of the room is chasing Deebo Samuel or Aiyuk 80 picks earlier. Overzet’s takeaway: when you need a late wideout and already have Purdy exposure, click Jennings for low-cost ceiling.

Pete Overzet called Jordan Mason the perfect Round-14 dart in Best Ball Mania drafts. He expects Mason to operate as San Francisco’s primary goal-line hammer behind Christian McCaffrey, citing Kyle Shanahan’s historical willingness to rotate backs inside the five. Mason has averaged 4.9 yards per carry on 87 career totes and ranked top-15 in rush yards over expectation per attempt last season. Overzet likes the cheap correlation with Brock Purdy stacks and believes Mason can deliver multiple double-digit weeks even without a McCaffrey injury, with true league-tilting upside if the starter misses time.

Mike Wright said Ricky Pearsall is an automatic buy in dynasty because the market has him buried at WR47 despite first-round draft capital and a perfect landing spot. Wright stressed that Kyle Shanahan’s offense has already produced multiple top-12 fantasy wideouts and now loses Deebo Samuel while Brandon Aiyuk nurses an injury, opening immediate targets for Pearsall on a team Vegas pegs for 10.5 wins. He highlighted Pearsall’s underrated rookie year: after missing the first six weeks recovering from a gun-shot wound in a daylight robbery, Pearsall closed the season with 8-141-1 on 10 targets against Detroit and 6-69-1 against Arizona, giving him three top-15 fantasy finishes in the season’s final month. Only 18 other rookie receivers in the past decade posted three games of 15+ points in the second half, and all but Christian Watson and dog-housed Brandon Aiyuk delivered a top-24 season the very next year. Pair that late-season production with elite route running, "unbelievable hands" (Wright joked he’s undefeated in thumb wars), and glowing practice reports from Brock Purdy, and Wright believes Pearsall has an obvious path to WR2 numbers as soon as 2025—far exceeding his current price.

Davis Mattek planted his Round-13 flag on Isaac Guerendo, calling the second-year back an "S-tier" handcuff who may still log 8–10 weekly touches even behind Christian McCaffrey. Mattek thinks San Francisco’s decision to flip Jordan Mason for a late pick signals real confidence in Guerendo as RB2. The former Louisville track star ran a 4.33 forty at 221 pounds and posted an 87th-percentile burst score— traits that mesh perfectly with Kyle Shanahan’s wide-zone scheme that led the NFL in rushing EPA per play last season. Mattek expects McCaffrey’s snap share to fall from 79 % to the low-70s in an effort to keep him fresh, projecting roughly 125 carries and 25 targets for Guerendo even without an injury. Should McCaffrey miss time, historical usage shows the backup averages 19.4 fantasy points per game under Shanahan (see 2020 Jeff Wilson stretch). At a back-half-of-Round-13 ADP, Mattek believes Guerendo belongs in the same conversation as Zach Charbonnet and Trey Benson, making him a must-click in Best Ball builds.

Davis Mattek cautioned drafters against chasing Brandon Aiyuk’s discounted ADP. Aiyuk is still recovering from a November knee issue and has yet to run routes in OTAs, a delay Mattek blames partly on his contract stalemate. He argued Aiyuk’s profile is fragile: the 49ers have never funneled volume his way—his career-high is just 105 targets—and his fantasy value has always relied on extreme efficiency that cratered late last year. With Jauan Jennings out-snapping him down the stretch and rookie Ricky Pearsall flashing target-earning chops, Mattek sees real risk Aiyuk settles as the third option behind Deebo Samuel and George Kittle. Entering his age-27 season without a clear path to volume, Aiyuk is, in Mattek’s words, “an icky click” even at a two-round discount.

Davis Mattek pegged Brock Purdy as the ideal fallback when the quarterback run dries up. Purdy is often on the board in the back half of round 10 despite finishing 2024 eighth in fantasy points per game and first in EPA per drop-back. Mattek loves that he works as a “catch-all” stack: drafters can pair him late with Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Jauan Jennings, or rookie Jacob Cowing without telegraphing the build. Even with San Francisco’s run bias, Purdy averaged 31.7 attempts and a league-best 9.6 YPA, producing five 25-plus point weeks—numbers Mattek sees repeating with all core weapons healthy. He views Purdy as insurance against missing earlier QB tiers while still offering a weekly top-10 ceiling in Best Ball tournaments.

Pat Fantasy Dog Pound called Jauan Jennings "a good click at ADP" because Jennings is the next man up if Aiyuk’s early-season absence becomes reality. Jennings already signed a two-year deal with $10.5M guaranteed, signaling a solid role, and he has quietly averaged 1.6 red-zone targets per game when either Deebo Samuel or Aiyuk sits. Pat likes grabbing Jennings in the final rounds as a low-risk bet on 2-3 usable spike weeks before the stars return.

Pat Fantasy Dog Pound argued that Ricky Pearsall’s current pick-80 price tag is egregious. He would rather take a temporarily injured Aiyuk in the 100s than pay a full eighth-round ticket for a slot rookie who could slide to WR3 once Aiyuk returns. Pat also pointed out that late-season weeks 15-17—when Best Ball Mania money is made—will feature a fully healthy 49ers wideout room, capping Pearsall’s upside. Until Pearsall drops two full rounds, Pat is out.

Pat Fantasy Dog Pound warned that Brandon Aiyuk is one of the worst clicks on the Underdog board right now. Pat expects Aiyuk to start camp on the PUP list and possibly miss the first four games, noting that beat reporters keep hinting he is "not ready to practice." Once drafters see the red PUP tag, Pat believes Aiyuk’s ADP will tumble out of the 60s and settle in the low-100s. He is passing on Aiyuk at current cost and plans to scoop shares later in the summer when the inevitable injury discount arrives.

Chris Raybon warned drafters that Brandon Aiyuk may begin 2024 on the Physically Unable to Perform list, forcing him to miss at least four games before any ramp-up period. Even once healthy, Aiyuk faces stiffer target competition than ever: Jauan Jennings earned a bigger role down the stretch, Ricky Pearsall arrived in Round 1, Demarcus Robinson signed on, and Christian McCaffrey plus George Kittle still command heavy volume. Raybon said the market is pricing Aiyuk as if he will seamlessly step back into a clear WR1 role, a scenario he considers optimistic given Kyle Shanahan’s spread-it-around tendencies. Until injury timelines clarify, Raybon is passing on Aiyuk at his current ADP and redirecting those picks toward receivers without such obvious early-season land mines.

Chris Raybon faded Ricky Pearsall hard, ranking him WR55 versus an Underdog ADP of WR41. Raybon cited a brutal rookie resume—Pearsall’s 14.4% targets-per-route ranked 26th out of 28 first-round receivers in the last five drafts, including a five-week stretch where he caught just two balls on 107 routes. The 49ers then muddied the waters further by re-signing Jauan Jennings (fresh off a late-season mini-breakout) and adding veteran Demarcus Robinson plus two Day-3 rookies. Raybon reminded listeners that Christian McCaffrey routinely soaks up receiver-level volume and George Kittle remains a red-zone staple, leaving Pearsall fighting for scraps even if Brandon Aiyuk opens on PUP. Outside of a meaningless Week-18 spike against Detroit, Raybon saw nothing to justify top-40 optimism and called Pearsall "a classic trap born of one highlight game and first-round bias."

Danny Kanell said Brock Purdy remains undervalued in fantasy and betting markets because of the Mr. Irrelevant label, yet he already has a Super Bowl trip and a 3,800-yard season on his resume. Kanell reminded listeners that Purdy finished top-10 in passing yards last year even though Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, and Deebo Samuel all missed time. With McCaffrey healthy, George Kittle locked in, Aiyuk back to 100 percent, and Jauan Jennings proving he can operate as a viable No. 2 when needed, Kanell expects San Francisco to return to the playoffs and for Purdy to shred the game-manager narrative. The take: treat Purdy as a reliable season-long starter and consider 49ers playoff futures before his inevitable contract-year price hike.

Sam Monson highlighted Kurtis Rourke as an intriguing late-round quarterback for Shanahan disciples to monitor. Monson praised Rourke for gutting through a partially torn ACL last season while still displaying the timing, quick release and boot-action accuracy that Shanahan covets. Although drafted as a backup, Monson believes Rourke has the tools to win regular-season games if Brock Purdy misses time, making him a cheap superflex or deep-dynasty stash. The 49ers’ quarterback-friendly system has already produced surprise starters like Purdy, so Monson sees real upside relative to seventh-round cost.

Jason Moore said he is fully back in on Christian McCaffrey despite three injury-marred seasons in the last five years. McCaffrey is reportedly 100 percent healthy this spring, and Moore expects Kyle Shanahan to keep him in a true bell-cow role. He brushed off the age-29 narrative, pointing out that elite backs such as Adrian Peterson and LaDainian Tomlinson maintained RB1 production at the same age. Vegas lists San Francisco’s win total at 10.5, and over the last four seasons every top-five fantasy RB has played on a team that averaged at least 10 wins—another box McCaffrey checks. Early ADP sits at RB8 on Sleeper and RB5 on Underdog, giving McCaffrey room to smash cost if he stays upright. Moore conceded the Draft Kit will tag him with a high injury-risk rating, but he still views the combination of volume, efficiency and touchdown equity in Shanahan’s offense as well worth the gamble in season-long drafts.

Sam Monson pumped the brakes on Jordan James’ fantasy hype, warning that undrafted free agent Corey Kiner could steal the No. 2 job behind Christian McCaffrey. Monson acknowledged James’ zone-running fit but pointed out that Kyle Shanahan’s history (Raheem Mostert 2016, Elijah Mitchell 2021, Jordan Mason 2022) shows UDFAs and seventh-rounders routinely leapfrog higher-drafted backs. He noted Kiner’s tape is "excellent" even if the timed speed was disappointing, and added that San Francisco’s coaching staff has prioritized vision and decisiveness over raw testing numbers in past depth-chart battles. Because of that track record, Monson advised fading James at his current dynasty and best-ball prices and instead grabbing Kiner for free as a speculative stash.

Sam Monson cautioned not to overlook undrafted free agent Corey Kiner, noting that San Francisco’s backfield history (Mostert, Mitchell, Mason) shows UDFAs often beat out drafted backs. While Kiner’s measurables disappointed, Monson said his Cincinnati tape "is excellent" with decisive cuts and contact balance tailor-made for Shanahan’s run game. Monson wouldn’t be surprised if Kiner ultimately makes more noise than fifth-rounder Jordan James, making him a zero-cost speculative add in large season-long or best-ball formats.