Fantasy Football Player Notes

It seems like the 49ers-Rams game was a lot longer than a week ago. When there is never a dull moment in the NFL, a lot has happened since. Going back to last week, we saw a significant shift in usage compared to previous years. Most notably, rookie Kaelon Black led the team in rushing attempts with 14. In comparison, McCaffrey had 10 for 68 yards. However, CMC had eight targets to Black's one, showcasing a dominant receiving share out of the backfield. It's hard to say what the split will look like in the future. However, if Black continues to split the rushing attempts near 50-50, CMC remains an RB1 but would fall out of top-5 territory. Thankfully, they play the Dolphins this week, who were destroyed by Ashton Jeanty for 147 total yards and two touchdowns.

The 49ers' usage of their players was weird in some aspects in Week 1 because of the one-sided nature of the game, as they crushed the Rams. Mike Evans finished as the WR14 in weekly scoring, but he had only a 63.9% route share. This could also be related to the fact that Evans dealt with some nagging soft tissue stuff during camp, and San Francisco didn't want to run him out there for a 90% route share in Week 1. Evans still tied for the team lead with a 20.6% target share while producing 49 receiving yards (2.16 YPRR) and seeing a team-leading 24% first-read share. Evans was second on the team with two red zone targets. I don't expect the Miami Dolphins' youthful secondary to be able to contain Evans in Week 2. The Raiders didn't have to test them much in Week 1 and don't have the players to do so even if they wanted to. If Evans had his way with the Rams, I don't expect the Dolphins to be much of a problem.

Deebo Samuel was also only a part-time player in Week 1. Samuel finished as the WR13 for the week, but he had only a 44.4% route share. He made the most of it with a 20.6% target share (tied for the team lead), 48 receiving yards (3.0 YPRR), and a 20% first-read share (tied for second on the team). Samuel got in the end zone while leading the team with three red zone targets. He also got his customary rushing usage, adding a carry for 12 yards on the ground. I expect Samuel to have another strong game in Week 2 against a hapless Miami defense.

George Kittle was eased into the 2026 season in Week 1. He had only a 47.2% route share and 46.9% snap share. Kittle was heavily involved when on the field with a 29% target-per-route run rate, a 14.7% target share, and a 20% first-read share. He finished with one red zone target, 12 receiving yards, and 0.71 yards per route run. Until Kittle is seeing a more substantial route share, he'll be a touchdown-or-bust fantasy option at the tight end position. He could return TE1 value in Week 2, but it's risky starting him with the limited playing time. Last year, Miami allowed the ninth-most yards per target and the tenth-most fantasy points per opportunity to tight ends.

Kaelon Black operated as the 49ers' Blake Corum in Week 1 as an early-down complement to Christian McCaffrey. Black played 43.8% of the snaps finishing with 15 touches and 70 total yards (65 rushing yards). He wasn't impressive as a rusher, though. Among 33 qualifying rushers in Week 1, he was seventh in rushing success rate, but I attribute that to the 3.5 yards before contact per attempt that the offensive line generated for him. Among that same sample of backs, he was 32nd in yards after contact per attempt, and he didn't force a missed tackle. None of it probably matters in Week 2, though. Black will likely see a similar workload in Week 2 as I expect the 49ers to blow out the Dolphins, which means Black will get plenty of garbage time usage. Miami's run defense was predictably terrible in Week 1 as well. In Week 1, Miami allowed the seventh-highest explosive run rate, the 12th-highest rushing success rate, and the sixth-most yards after contact per attempt to backs. Black is a strong flex play for Week 2.