Fantasy Football Player Notes
Week 1 Rankings
1.
Christian McCaffrey
RB - (at PIT)
The 49ers were judicious in their usage of McCaffrey after acquiring CMC from the Panthers last October. But while McCaffrey didn't see the massive touch counts that categorized his early years in Carolina, he was still highly productive, averaging 21.7 fantasy points per game in 11 games with the Niners. McCaffrey's run-catch versatility makes him a hand-in-glove fit for 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense, and an abundance of surrounding skill-player talent makes it hard for opposing defenses to focus on CMC. Start McCaffrey with confidence this week even in a tricky road matchup against the Steelers.
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43.
Deebo Samuel
WR - (at PIT)
The arrival of Christian McCaffrey might mean that Deebo doesn't add as much rushing value in 2023 as he has in the last couple of seasons. In the seven games he played with CMC last year, Deebo had 19 carries for 96 yards and two touchdowns. Deebo is special with the ball in his hands, so 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan is still going to scheme him some carries - just not as many carries as Deebo handled over the second half of the 2021 season, when he had 53 rushing attempts over an eight-game stretch. Perhaps the more important issue is Deebo's receiving potential with CMC around. After McCaffrey's arrival, Deebo averaged 6.7 targets, 4.1 receptions and 41.0 receiving yards per game. Those are low-end WR3 numbers. Treat Deebo as a midrange WR2 this week but monitor his usage carefully early in the season to assess his value.
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55.
Brandon Aiyuk
WR - (at PIT)
Aiyuk quietly finished WR15 in PPR fantasy scoring last year, catching 78 passes for 1,015 yards and eight touchdowns in his age-24 season. Aiyuk has averaged an impressive 8.8 yards per target over his three NFL seasons, and last year he demonstrated that he can thrive despite the abundance of skill-position talent on the San Francisco roster. Consider Aiyuk a high-end WR3 this week against the Steelers.
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84.
George Kittle
TE - (at PIT)
A groin injury has left Kittle's status in question for week 1, so you'll have to monitor his status throughout the week. Kittle has some huge games, so it would be hard to leave him on your bench if he's active. But Kittle's target counts can oscillate wildly, and the injury raises the risk of a dud game if he's able to suit up. Should Kittle miss this game, no San Francisco TE would be worth your consideration.
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98.
Elijah Mitchell
RB - (at PIT)
Will Mitchell have stand-alone fantasy value with Christian McCaffrey around? We don't have a lot of information to go on, since injuries limited Mitchell to five games last season. McCaffrey was around for four of those games, and Mitchell averaged 9.8 carries, 59.5 rushing yards and 0.4 touchdowns per game after CMC's arrival. Mitchell doesn't catch many passes, and McCaffrey's presence puts a lid on Mitchell's rushing volume. Mitchell might be flex-worthy in deep leagues once byes and injuries start to hit fantasy managers hard. But for now, keep Mitchell on your bench.
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214.
Jordan Mason
RB - (at PIT)
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223.
Kyle Juszczyk
RB - (at PIT)
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234.
Jauan Jennings
WR - (at PIT)
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324.
Ross Dwelley
TE - (at PIT)
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361.
Ronnie Bell
WR - (at PIT)
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516.
Chris Conley
WR - (at PIT)
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520.
Willie Snead IV
WR - (at PIT)
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