San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (ankle, hamstring) was outproduced by his backup Eric Saubert during the team's 47-24 loss to the Cardinals in Arizona. Kittle caught two of three targets for 27 yards. The affable team captain was questionable and ultimately activated but had his snap count reduced in the meaningless game. Most likely, the 49ers organization was showing appreciation to Kittle by giving him the start since he has a $500,000 per-game roster bonus in his contract. Kittle finishes an excellent season as the overall half-PPR TE2, behind only Las Vegas Raiders rookie Brock Bowers and just ahead of Arizona's Trey McBride. He amassed 78 receptions, 1,106 yards, and eight touchdowns in 2024. He was hyper-efficient this year, setting career marks in catch percentage and yards per target. Kittle will enter his age-32 season in 2025 once again as a fantasy TE1 with San Francisco.

Wide receiver Chris Conley had one of his best games as a San Francisco 49er during a 47-24 loss to the Cardinals in Arizona on Sunday. The 32-year-old journeyman caught all four targets for 59 yards receiving from backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs. The yardage and reception totals more than doubled Conley's 2024 production entering Week 18. Conley's stat line looks very similar to his only other productive game with San Francisco, which came on the final game of last season (three receptions for 69 yards). Over his 10-year career so far, Conley has amassed 226 receptions for 2,998 yards and 15 touchdowns. Conley will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and will likely be off the fantasy radar wherever he lands.

San Francisco 49ers rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall followed last week's breakout game with another strong showing in Sunday's 47-24 Week 18 loss to the Cardinals in Arizona. The Arizona native caught six of eight targets for 69 yards, including a six-yard touchdown grab on a contested slant pattern from backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs. Pearsall, who started his 49ers career on a terrifying note -- being shot in the chest during an armed robbery attempt -- had an up-and-down year once he debuted in Week 7. Pearsall produced four fantasy-useful performances in 2024 but seven in which he was held below six half-PPR points. With momentum and the validation of his first-round pedigree this season, Pearsall could be an intriguing late-round fantasy pick in 2025 depending on the health of Brandon Aiyuk's knee, and if Pearsall can move past Jauan Jennings and/or Deebo Samuel Sr. in the 49ers' hierarchy.

San Francisco 49ers running back Patrick Taylor Jr. produced well filling in for rookie Isaac Guerendo (knee), who was carted off the field in the first quarter. The former Memphis Tiger took 17 carries for a career-high 109 yards and caught one of four targets for 12 yards through the air. Taylor Jr. looked much better on Sunday than in any other of his limited opportunities in 2024 with physical, one-cut running. The fact that he got any game time at all this year was an improbability in the preseason, as he had four running backs ahead of him on the depth chart before they all went down with injuries at various times. Taylor Jr. finishes the year with 39 carries for 183 yards and one touchdown. He'll be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Per head coach Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers running back Isaac Guerendo (knee, ankle) has likely picked up an MCL sprain but will undergo more testing on Monday to confirm the severity of the injury. Matt Barrows of The Athletic reported the news. That'd be a best-case scenario for the rookie, who was carted off in the first quarter of his team's 47-24 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Guerendo was bent up awkwardly not even two minutes into the contest and quickly ruled out afterward. San Francisco has been unable to keep a running back healthy this season, as they've had four suffer serious injuries. It's been a disappointing year for the 49ers -- a team with Super Bowl aspirations that won't make a playoff appearance in 2024 after a campaign riddled with injuries. They'll hope for better in 2025.