San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joshua Dobbs is set to make his only start of 2024 in a Week 18 matchup against the Cardinals in Arizona. The 29-year-old will fill in for starter Brock Purdy (right elbow), as he did for a few plays at the end of last week's loss before scoring a rushing touchdown. Dobbs made his most recent start in Week 14 of 2023 with the Minnesota Vikings, as San Francisco opted for Brandon Allen when Purdy missed Week 12 of this season at Green Bay with poor results. Dobbs made some noise in fantasy last year, averaging 15.7 Yahoo default points per game with Arizona and Minnesota. He went over 20 points five times in 13 games -- driven mostly by rushing touchdowns -- but went out with a whimper with the Vikings, failing to reach five points in his final two starts. The Cardinals are the 12th-toughest defense to opposing fantasy quarterbacks, but they've allowed five rushing touchdowns to quarterbacks -- the fifth-most in the NFL. "The Pass-tronaut" is a QB2 in Week 18, but could be a sneaky-good DFS play for those who choose to spend big at other positions.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. (ribs, wrist) has been ruled out for the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday against the division-rival Arizona Cardinals. Samuel didn't practice at all this week. The 28-year-old veteran likely would have been able to suit up this weekend if the Niners were playing for something, but with San Fran eliminated from postseason contention, he will be rested to close out the year. Jauan Jennings should operate as the team's WR1 on Sunday in a good matchup, with rookies Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing and Chris Conley also seeing additional opportunities with backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs running the offense. Especially when considering the injuries to running back Christian McCaffrey (knee) and receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee), Samuel's 51-670-3 line as a receiver in 15 games was a huge disappointment for the 49ers and fantasy managers alike.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (elbow) has officially been ruled out for Sunday's Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Arizona Cardinals. Purdy suffered a right-elbow contusion at the tail end of the Monday night loss to the Detroit Lions on Monday night. While the injury isn't considered serious and Purdy should have a normal offseason, the Niners will hold him out in a meaningless game to close out the year. With Purdy sidelined, backup Joshua Dobbs will make his first start under center this year. The 25-year-old Purdy wasn't able to replicate his breakout 2023 season for San Fran, but he was still solid for fantasy purposes (QB10 overall heading into Week 18), especially when considering he was without All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey (knee) and receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee) for most of the year.

According to Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (ankle, hamstring) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals. Kittle opened the week as a non-participant but was able to upgrade to limited participation on Thursday and Friday. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status over the weekend, as he may end up being a game-time decision. Kittle saw his typical workload on Monday evening and logged 56 offensive snaps and was able to bring in all eight of his targets for 112 yards. Even though Joshua Dobbs is slated to get the start, fantasy managers should still view Kittle as a TE1 without Brock Purdy (elbow) under center. He will be facing an Arizona defense that has allowed the fifth-fewest PPR points to opposing tight ends this season.

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said it was a medical decision to sit quarterback Brock Purdy (elbow) for the Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Arizona Cardinals this Sunday and also downplayed the signal-caller's injury. "It's nothing more than when you hit your funny bone. When you get an NFL helmet in the wrong place it irritates the nerve. Brock is going to be fine. It's going to quiet down," Lynch said. The 25-year-old injured his elbow late in the Monday night loss to the Detroit Lions and hasn't practiced yet this week. With the Niners already eliminated from the playoffs, there's just no reason for the team to throw Purdy out there against Arizona. Veteran Joshua Dobbs will get the start instead. Entering Week 18, Purdy is the QB10 in overall fantasy points, although his 2024 was a step down from his breakout in 2023.