49ers Fantasy Outlook in Week 3: Should You Start Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle

Week 3 of the NFL season kicks off with a matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants.

Let’s dive into the 49ers roster and what players might be worth a start in your fantasy lineups as the team looks to improve to 3-0.

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Brock Purdy Fantasy Outlook

Purdy continues to excel as the 49ers’ starting quarterback and is now 7-0 in regular season starts. He’s completed 36-of-54 passes for 426 yards and two touchdowns so far. He’s not thrown an interception, but has fumbled three times and lost two.

While Purdy’s numbers typically never wow, he’s consistent enough and takes care of the ball to a point where he can be trusted by fantasy owners. There’s playmakers all over the field on offense and he’s most often tasked with simply getting the ball in their hands.

Purdy is the 14th-ranked quarterback in our week 3 rankings. He’ll be taking on a Giants’ defense that’s allowed 371 yards and a touchdown through the air in two games. Opposing quarterbacks also have 47 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground. That adds up to 16 fantasy points a contest.

The 49ers are pretty healthy going into week 3, but Purdy could be without one of his wideouts in Brandon Aiyuk. The receiver is a game-time decision with a shoulder injury.

Christian McCaffrey, Elijah Mitchell Fantasy Outlook

McCaffrey continues to be a fantasy star for San Francisco. He’s already rushed for 268 yards and two touchdowns on just 42 carries in two weeks. He’s also caught six of his eight targets for 36 yards.

McCaffrey is dominating the backfield snaps, with 115 to his name so far. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk is the next closest at 66 snaps, while Mitchell has been on the field for just 10 snaps.

Speaking of Mitchell, he’s gained 10 yards on five rushing attempts in two weeks. He has one target and no receptions as a receiver. 

Coach Kyle Shanahan said the day after the last game that it was a mistake not to play Mitchell more, so you can expect him to factor in more often in week 3. With it being a short week, I’d expect Mitchell to see the field more than he has in the first two weeks combined, but his usage and touches are still unknown.

McCaffrey is the top-ranked back in our week 3 projections, while Mitchell is 54th. The Giants’ defense has allowed 212 yards and three scores on the ground and just four catches for 19 yards through the air to opposing backs. That equates to 23 total points a game for opposing backs.

Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk Fantasy Outlook

While the 49ers’ offense is often considered one of the best in the league, it’s hard to believe when looking at the snap leaders for the team. Only two receivers, Samuel and Aiyuk, have over 50 snaps through two weeks. 

Samuel leads the team with 16 targets, while Aiyuk has 14. Jauan Jennings is the only other receiver with a target, and has just four so far. Samuel and Aiyuk each have 11 catches, while Jennings had two. 

Aiyuk leads the Niners with 172 receiving yards, while Samuel has 118 and Jennings 51. Aiyuk has the only two red zone targets and touchdowns.

Samuel is the 12th-ranked receiver in our projections, while Aiyuk is 24th. No other wideouts are in our top 80. 

New York’s defense has allowed 253 yards and one touchdown to opposing receivers through two weeks. Opposing wideouts have scored 29 points a game.

George Kittle Fantasy Outlook

Kittle is looked to as one of the top tight ends in the league, but his numbers through two weeks have been uninspiring. He’s been targeted nine times, catching six for 49 yards. 

Kittle has been on the field a lot and is second to only Samuel in snaps played. At some point, you’d expect the Niners to try to get him going more, especially with the lack of other offensive weapons around. A short week and coming off two weeks with not a ton of usage could be the perfect time for that.

Kittle is the seventh-ranked tight end in our projections. The Giants have allowed opposing tight ends to catch 10 passes for 99 yards in two weeks. That’s good for a 10-point average.

Jake Moody Fantasy Outlook

San Francisco’s third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft has been perfect so far, making six field goals and six extra points.

Moody already has three field goals made over 40 yards, with a long of 57. 

Moody is the eighth-ranked kicker in our projections. Opposing kickers are averaging nine fantasy points against the Giants through two weeks.

49ers’ Defense Fantasy Outlook

While the Niners have allowed some yards this season, the defense has only allowed 30 total points. San Fran has picked off four passes and have not forced a fumble yet. 

The Niners are the second-ranked defense in our projections. 

Who Should You Start?

The 49ers have a number of consistent fantasy assets and just about every one is starter worthy.

I think McCaffrey is the top option again this week and should have enough touches to at least reach his projected totals. Mitchell could garner some snaps and touches away, but it’s not enough to not trust McCaffrey. Start McCaffrey and bench Mitchell.

Purdy is another player I like as a starter this week. The Giants’ defense has struggled to slow opposing offenses, and Purdy has a good chance of going for over 200 yards and a couple scores every week. The difference in his score will come down to turnovers, and with a pretty healthy offense around him, I think he’ll do a good job of that this week.

Samuel and Aiyuk are two more players that I would start this week, simply because they aren’t fighting for touches and snaps with any other wideouts. If Aiyuk misses the game, Samuel has the chance to finish as one of the top receivers in points this week. Keep an eye on the injury report and any final news on Aiyuk as the game gets closer.

One might think Jennings might be worth a start if Aiyuk is out, but I'm skeptical of that given his involvement with the offense so far. Jennings would certainly play more, but I wouldn't trust him to put up Aiyuk's average numbers so far.

Kittle is a tougher choice when it comes to starting or sitting. He hasn’t done much this season, but could also be the top-scoring tight end this week if he’s involved and scores a time or two. It’s hard to keep players of his talent level down for long, and after two down weeks, I like Kittle to bounce back, so I’m starting him too.

Moody and the 49ers’ defense are also start worthy in week 3. The 49ers’ offense has failed to punch the ball in the end zone repeatedly, but have moved the ball into opposing territory often. I think that continues, so Moody will get a couple field goal attempts and extra points. Going up against a Giants’ offense that could be missing running back Saquon Barkley and a couple offensive linemen, this could be a huge game for the Niners’ defense. If it wasn’t for the Dallas Cowboys’ defense taking on the Arizona Cardinals, I’d circle the Niners, Giants matchup as the best one for a defense.