Week Five 49ers Fantasy Outlook
The 2-2 San Francisco 49ers will be playing the 2-2 Arizona Cardinals in Week Five at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA on Sunday. After losing two in a row, the 49ers picked up a win against the New England Patriots in Week Four and are hoping to pick up another in this NFC West matchup. They have had some fantasy surprises and disappointments so far this year. However, here is the fantasy outlook for the San Francisco 49ers in Week Five.
Quarterback
Brock Purdy continues to impress his teammates, opponents, and the world with his quarterback play this year. He currently ranks fourth in passing yards and quarterback rating and has thrown for five touchdowns and two interceptions. What has been most impressive for Purdy this year has been his willingness to scramble and run to avoid sacks and negative yardage. His ability to extend plays has given the 49ers extra life on an offense that has been slower than expected to start the season. Purdy is averaging just above 15 fantasy points per game and ranks as the quarterback 14 on Sleeper. The Arizona Cardinals are currently middle of the pack in pass defense, allowing 208.3 passing yards and five passing touchdowns through the first four weeks. Last week, they gave up 233 yards and a passing and rushing touchdown to rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. With four teams on bye in Week Five, Brock Purdy would be a great option to stream at the quarterback position.
Running Back
Jordan Mason has been thriving in his role as the primary running back for the 49ers, with star Christian McCaffrey still on injured reserve. He is currently ranked as the running back five in Sleeper’s fantasy rankings. Mason is averaging 111.8 yards per game, which is second in the league, just behind Derrick Henry. He also has three rushing touchdowns on the year. Where his production does lack is in the passing game, with only six receptions for 57 yards and no touchdowns so far. The Cardinals’ defense is near the bottom of the league in rush defense, which makes Jordan Mason a running back one and a must-start this week.
Wide Receivers/Tight End
The San Francisco 49ers have a plethora of fantasy-relevant pass catchers that can be started, especially with four teams on byes this week. Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings, and George Kittle all have good fantasy upside against the middle-of-the-pack Cardinals pass defense. The problem is, which one of them is in head coach Kyle Shanahan’s game plan to thrive this week. Samuel and Jennings have both been steady wide receiver two options so far this year. Brock Purdy has found great success with Jennings in particular, who had a breakout three-touchdown game just a couple of weeks ago against the Los Angeles Rams. Aiyuk, on the other hand, has been slow out of the gate this season. He and Purdy just haven’t been able to connect the same way they did last year. Kittle has been a solid tight-end fantasy option so far. He’s currently ranked as the tight end one on the season, even after missing a game. He’s a major part of the 49ers’ offense and that should continue this week, if available. He missed some practice time this week with a rib injury, so pay attention to his availability come Sunday.
