San Francisco 49ers DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (ribs) is questionable to return to Sunday's matchup with the Patriots. The 30-year-old wasn't available for the Week 3 loss to the Rams because of a hamstring injury and wasn't a lock to suit up in Week 4. However, with his latest ailment, the team may play it safe by keeping him out for the remainder of the contest. If that happens, Kittle will finish with 38 yards and a touchdown off three catches, with his potential absence opening the door for more targets for Deebo Samuel Sr. Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, and backup tight end Eric Saubert.

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (knee) recently returned from seeing a specialist in Germany. It sounds like the plan is for McCaffrey to continue working on the ground, but he won't be back on the field anytime soon. The earliest McCaffrey can resume practicing with the team will be Week 6. Right now the plan is for McCaffrey to possibly return by early November. That isn't great news for fantasy managers, but at least the superstar back will only miss a handful of more games. In the meantime, Jordan Mason figures to continue being the lead back. Mason should be considered a RB1 in fantasy formats until McCaffrey returns.

San Francisco 49ers kicker Jake Moody will kick off a Week 4 home matchup versus the New England Patriots on Sunday. Last Week in Los Angeles, Moody hit one of two field goals, making a 26-yarder and missing an important fourth-quarter 55-yard attempt wide left. He also remained perfect in extra point attempts this year, hitting three of three. Moody is tied for fifth in fantasy points per game in Yahoo default scoring and the Patriots are tied for 11th-best in the NFL at limiting fantasy kicking production. San Francisco's potent offense is a good bet in most weeks to spend enough time in plus territory to set up Moody for a productive day, and this week is no exception. He's in the Top-5 conversation this week.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings will line up at home against the New England Patriots in Week 4. In a Week 3 loss to the Rams in Los Angeles, Jennings had the game of his career, catching 11 of 12 targets for 175 yards and three touchdowns in place of Deebo Samuel Sr. (calf). To expect that level of performance again would be foolish but last week shouldn't be written off as a total fluke, either. The skill that Jennings flashed during the monster game is real, and it's possible that Jennings will carry enhanced rapport with quarterback Brock Purdy into Week 4. At the same time, Brandon Aiyuk is still the heavy favorite for production against New England, even if the questionable Deebo Samuel Sr. (calf) can't go. Tight End George Kittle (hamstring) -- who was also absent last week during Jennings' explosion -- is expected to return. The Patriots' defense has been a plus matchup for opposing fantasy receivers thus far, ranking as the ninth-most generous in the league in Yahoo default scoring. Jennings is on the WR2/3 border this week, but keep an eye on Samuel Sr.'s status. If Samuel Sr. suits up, Jennings would be heavily downgraded, and starting Jennings in that situation is almost certainly an overreaction to last week's revelations.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk will try to get on track in a Week 4 home matchup against the New England Patriots. The former first-round pick has yet to produce a satisfying performance for fantasy managers through three games. Last week in Los Angeles, Aiyuk took 10 targets but only caught half of them for 48 yards. On a Friday KNBR radio show, head coach Kyle Shanahan said that he's happy with how Aiyuk is playing, but that they are not the type of offense that is going to force-feed targets to any one player. The Patriots have been rather generous to opposing wideouts in the early going, allowing 30.9 points per game in Yahoo default scoring, which ranks ninth-most. It remains to be seen whether Aiyuk will line up on Sunday with his counterpart Deebo Samuel Sr. (calf) still questionable, but whether he does seems less relevant after Jauan Jennings demonstrated last week the ability to compete for targets with Aiyuk just as well as Samuel Sr. Tight end George Kittle (hamstring) is expected to play after a one-game absence. It's just a matter of time before Aiyuk pops, especially after the healthy target volume versus the Rams. Stick with him as a back-end WR1 on Sunday.