During Purdy’s meteoric rise from Mr. Irrelevant to MVP
candidate the recurring question was always how much was due to
his talent and how much was due to being surrounded by elite playmakers
and a dominant defense? Forced to play minus many of those stars
a season ago, Purdy’s numbers fell across the board, dropping
from 4,280 yards and 31 TDs in 2023 to 3,864 yards and 20 TDs
a year ago. Suffice to say, if you were inclined to view Purdy
as a product of the system, last season did nothing to dissuade
your misgivings.
The 49ers are not among the doubters, choosing to hand Purdy
a five-year, $265 million extension as he was entering the final
year of his rookie deal. They certainly hope they’ll be getting
the version of Purdy that finished fourth in MVP voting in 2023,
and the return of key stars like Christian McCaffrey and Brandon
Aiyuk (knee) could go a long way toward making that a reality.
There are still more question marks on that offense than in recent
years, however, with Deebo Samuel gone, and McCaffrey, Aiyuk,
and Trent Williams all coming back from injury filled seasons.
This is a big year for Purdy, and head coach Kyle Shanahan, who
will be charged with getting the 49ers back to the playoffs amid
a lot of roster turnover. Shanahan has shown repeatedly he knows
how to run an offense, and he’ll have had a full offseason
to integrate the new pieces. If McCaffrey can stay healthy, that
would be a huge difference maker. While there are absolutely some
concerns for Purdy heading into 2025, the Iowa State alum looks
like a low-end QB1 or strong QB2.
When McCaffrey arrived in San Francisco back in 2022, the primary
reason he was available on the trade market was that he hadn’t
been available on Sundays, having missed a combined 22 games the
previous two seasons for the Panthers. Talent was never a question.
Durability was. McCaffrey seemed to put those concerns to rest,
appearing in 27 of 28 possible games for the 49ers in ’22
and ’23. Last season, however, the injuries came back with
a vengeance.
It started in the preseason with a calf strain, which became
an Achilles’ issue. The belief was that he’d play
in Week 1. That didn’t happen. He missed Week 2. When his
condition didn’t improve, he was placed on Injured Reserve
amid reports of Achilles’ tendinitis in both legs. McCaffrey
finally made his debut in Week 10, turning 19 touches into 107
yards. He didn’t look like the same player, though, failing
to find the end zone in 65 combined touches before sustaining
a PCL injury in Week 13 that ended his season after just four
games.
All the offseason reports have been encouraging, and McCaffrey
reportedly participated in every phase of the voluntary OTAs and
minicamp. He says he’s fully healthy. Now, the question
for fantasy owners is can you trust him to stay that way? At 29,
CMC has had three of his eight NFL seasons ruined by injuries.
That makes him a medical gamble. The likely No. 1 overall pick
in most drafts a year ago, McCaffrey will still go in the first
round, but he’s undoubtedly the biggest risk-reward selection
for 2025.
With Jordan Mason traded to Detroit, and talented but oft-injured
Elijah Mitchell gone in free agency, Guerendo sits as the presumptive
No. 2 back for the 49ers. Doubtless that status will be challenged
in camp, however, as the Niners selected Jordan James in the fifth
round of this year’s draft. Guerendo, a fourth-round selection
a year ago, had flashes during his rookie year, finishing with
572 combined yards and four touchdowns. He could never topple
Mason from the top of the depth chart, though, and he dealt with
several minor injuries.
As for James, the 5-foot-10, 205-pound rookie runs with physicality
and has enough to speed to break away if he finds a lane. The
Oregon product finished third in the Big Ten in rushing yardage
last year and is considered capable in passing situations as well,
both as a runner and blocker. This will be one of the more intriguing
depth chart battles in all of fantasy football this August as
the winner becomes a priority handcuff and top 50 back. For now,
we’ll assume Guerendo wins the role, but you’ll want
to monitor this situation closely.
A year ago, the 49ers looked to have one of the NFL’s most
dynamic one-two punches at receiver with Aiyuk (knee) and Samuel.
They’ll open 2025 with neither. Samuel was traded to the
Commanders during the offseason, and Aiyuk will almost certainly
begin the year on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list
after sustaining a torn ACL and MCL in Week 7 last season. The
rehab is reportedly going well, but there’s no definitive
timeline for a return.
Further clouding Aiyuk’s outlook for this season is his
lack of production prior to the knee injury. In six games, the
freshly minted $30 million a year wideout had collected 23 receptions,
351 yards, and 0 touchdowns with much of that coming in Week 5
(8-147-0) -- he failed to reach the 50-yard plateau in any of
his other games. With so much uncertainty, Aiyuk is only worth
rolling the dice on in the final rounds, and even then, only if
you can stash him in an IR slot. Otherwise, you’re better
served keeping Aiyuk on a watch list and considering adding him
when he appears ready to suit up.
With Aiyuk injured and Samuel struggling, Jennings quietly emerged
as San Francisco’s top receiver threat last year. Previously
known almost exclusively for his blocking prowess, the former
Volunteer finished second on the club in receptions (77), yards
(975), and touchdowns (6) while comfortably establishing new career
bests in all three categories. Now, with Sameul gone and Aiyuk
on the mend, Jennings heads into 2025 as the 49ers’ de facto
No. 1 receiver.
Despite a clear uptick in his fantasy profile, there are still
plenty of question marks when it comes to valuing Jennings for
the upcoming campaign: How much will the offense flow through
a healthy McCaffrey? When will Aiyuk return and what will his
role be when he does? How big of a leap will Ricky Pearsall take
after having his rookie year derailed? How successful will Jennings
be operating as a lead receiver without someone like Samuel to
draw attention from secondaries?
There’s a lot to digest with Jennings, who very much looks
like a “your mileage may vary” option for fantasy
owners. He’s proven capable of at least producing at a WR3
level, but he’s someone that’s likely to have his
most productive games early in the season, making him a potential
“sell high” candidate. Taking a full-season view,
Jennings, despite the added motivation of entering a contract
year, is best viewed as a solid No. 4 fantasy wideout.
A first-round pick in 2024, Pearsall was shot in the chest during
a robbery attempt just prior to the start of the season and wound
up missing six games as a result. As you’d suspect, his
numbers weren’t great, finishing with a 31-400-3 line. He
closed strong, however, catching 14 passes for 210 yards and a
pair of touchdowns over the final two weeks. While it’s
always a bit dangerous to get read too much into late-season production
(for example, Patrick Taylor had 121 yards in Week 18 and faces
an uphill battle to even make the team in 2025), there’s
no doubt that Pearsall has talent.
When the 49ers selected him, many suspected the Florida alum
was taken with an eye on the future, and with Samuel gone the
opportunity to become a major part of the offense is here. Shanahan
can be notoriously tough on young wideouts, so we’ll see
if Pearsall can ingratiate himself quickly. The arrival of veteran
Demarcus Robinson provides the team some depth at the position,
though he feels more like a stopgap until Aiyuk can return from
injury.
In breaking down the 49ers’ receiving corps, Jennings looks
to be the higher-floor, lower-ceiling candidate while Pearsall
has a bit more boom or bust in his outlook. If he can lock down
the slot, his speed and height could make him a problem for opposing
cornerbacks both downfield and in jump ball situations. As your
fourth or fifth receiver, Pearsall offers interesting upside.
On a team with almost as much potential as question marks, Kittle
is the safest bet. Over the last two years, the veteran has racked
up 143 receptions, 2,126 yards, and 14 touchdowns. He’s
established himself as a favorite target of Purdy, and he’s
been mostly durable since an injury filled 2020 limited him to
just eight games. With uncertainty at receiver, we could see even
heavier involvement from Kittle, who is coming off his second-best
season statistically over an eight-year career.
If you’re looking for risks, there are a couple worth noting.
First, Kittle has a lot of mileage on his body due to heavy usage
and several deep playoff runs. While he’s been durable,
you can’t dismiss all injury concerns as he enters his age-32
campaign. Second, San Francisco’s pass protection relies
heavily on Trent Williams locking down the left side. The veteran
is an elite talent, but he’ll be 37 when the season kicks
off and is coming off a year in which he missed seven games. If
Williams misses time again, Kittle could find himself having to
stay in and help protect Purdy.
Kittle deserves to be viewed as a top five tight end for fantasy
purposes. He’s a notch below Brock Bowers and Trey McBride,
both of whom are featured weapons and ascending talents, but after
that you can consider him a viable choice alongside names like
Sam LaPorta and Travis Kelce.
