San Francisco 49ers DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle had another valuable fantasy day in a 40-34 home loss to the Detroit Lions on Monday night. Kittle hauled in all eight of his targets for 112 receiving yards. For most Kittle managers, tonight caps off an excellent fantasy season. It marks his fourth 1,000-yard season and while he falls short of his 2022 career-high 11 touchdowns -- he's at eight with one game to play -- Kittle was incredibly dependable this season after a rollercoaster 2023 campaign. Excluding the two games missed due to injury, Kittle has come in below 10 half-PPR points just three times this season. He'll try to defend his 0.2-point lead as the season-long half-PPR TE1 over Las Vegas Raiders rookie phenom Brock Bowers when the 49ers travel to Arizona to face the Cardinals on Sunday in Week 18. He'll be a must-start for anyone still in redraft championships, but DFS players would be wise to consider the injury status of starting quarterback Brock Purdy (elbow).

San Francisco 49ers rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall popped off with the best game of his young career during a 40-34 loss to the Detroit Lions at Levi's Stadium on Monday night. For the first time this season, Pearsall had quarterback Brock Purdy's eye throughout. The 24-year-old out of Florida finished with a co-team-high 10 targets and eight receptions for a team-leading 141 yards and a touchdown. He also took two carries for six yards. Pearsall flashed his first-round skills, including winning a strong-hand battle at the goal line against standout safety Brian Branch and a one-handed, toe-tapping tip and grab on the sideline. Anyone still playing meaningful fantasy football in Week 18 may be tempted to consider Pearsall as a FLEX option after his breakout game, but first should track the injury news of quarterback Brock Purdy (elbow) going into the team's game on Sunday at the Arizona Cardinals.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. returned to fantasy mediocrity in a 40-34 loss to the Lions in Santa Clara on Monday night. The 2021 First-team All-Pro took three carries for 16 yards on the ground. His only target in the passing game was not much of a target at all, a pop-pass on a reverse from the five-yard line that was essentially another carry. Luckily for some fantasy managers, Samuel Sr. managed to take it into the end zone. Unless he bounces back with a big game in Week 18, Samuel Sr. will record career lows in receptions per game, receiving yards per game, and rushing yards per attempt. He'll also bottom out this year in important counting stats like total touchdowns and rushing yards if throwing out the 2020 season in which he only made five starts. Samuel Sr. will try to build momentum for next year when he takes on the Cardinals in Arizona on Sunday.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings had a passable performance during the team's 40-34 loss to the Detroit Lions in Santa Clara on Sunday night. Jennings finished with seven receptions on 10 targets for 67 yards. While his final line was unspectacular, it was almost worse. Half of Jennings' targets and nearly half of his receptions and yards came on San Francisco's final drive with the team in desperation mode and down by two scores. It all counts the same for fantasy managers who needed only a halfway-decent showing in the final week of the fantasy season. Those who needed more from Jennings were certainly tearing their hair out watching rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall (8/141/1) eclipse Jennings throughout the night, for just the second time this year. Jennings will look to finish his breakout season on a high note when the 49ers travel to Arizona for a meaningless Week 18 contest.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (right elbow) likely avoided a serious injury during the fourth quarter of Monday's loss to the Detroit Lions. According to head coach Kyle Shanahan (via a post on X from ESPN's Nick Wagoner), Purdy likely just got hit in the wrong spot, which led to a nerve issue. Shanahan did note that the 49ers need to conduct further testing on Purdy, but the expectation is that he will be okay. It's still to early to tell whether Purdy, who totaled 377 passing yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions on Monday night, will play in Week 18. Next weekend's contest is essentially meaningless for the 49ers, who have already been eliminated from the playoffs and could opt to rest key starters, including Purdy. Fantasy managers should stay tuned for updates on the 49ers' plans over the next few days.