San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk will run up against the Vikings when the team visits Minnesota in Week 2. Last week, Aiyuk disappointed fantasy players, a victim of his own offseason "hold-in" rustiness and a negative game script. The 26-year-old with the new contract extension could only muster two catches for 28 yards and no touchdowns on five targets. This week, however, he'll have the benefit of another week of practice and not having to go against Sauce Gardner and a top-rated pass defense. The Vikings dominated Daniel Jones and the New York Giants wideouts last week, whose top receiving performance came from rookie Malik Nabers at 5 catches, 66 yards, and no touchdowns. However, the Giants' passing attack was not expected to be a challenge for anybody and Minnesota's defense allowed the sixth-most half-PPR points to wide receivers in 2023. Last year's Vikings defensive secondary remains largely unchanged. Aiyuk should be in line for more action in Week 2 after having his snaps managed in Week 1 and with a better matchup, he's a solid WR2.

San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan Mason will draw another start when the team clashes with the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday. Mason catapulted himself into the forefront of fantasy football conversations by shredding the New York Jets' run defense last week as the replacement for All-Pro starter Christian McCaffrey (Achilles). Mason finished that game with 147 yards on 28 carries and a touchdown while chipping in one reception for five yards. Those looking for an encore to Mason's career day are faced with a Minnesota defense that held New York Giants running backs to 42 yards rushing, 29 yards receiving, and no touchdowns in Week 1. The Vikings were also quite good against the run in 2023 as well, allowing the eighth-fewest points to running backs in half-PPR. Mason is not CMC, but a Top-10 finish is in play this week even against a quality defense, given the 49ers' perennial commitment to the run game and how sharp it looked last week. Treat Mason as a back-end RB1 in Week 2.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy will try to pick up a second-straight win in a Week 2 matchup versus the Vikings in Minnesota on Sunday. He'll be going up against a defense that was almost exactly league-average in 2023 for fantasy points per game allowed to opposing quarterbacks, but who held Purdy to 272 yards, two interceptions, and one touchdown last year (albeit without stud tackle Trent Williams and receiver Deebo Samuel). The Vikings made mostly minor changes to their defensive personnel in the offseason, most notably losing standout edge rusher Danielle Hunter and replacing him with first-round pick Dallas Turner. In their opener last week, the Vikings made New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones look horrible but how much credit goes to the defense versus Jones' ineptitude is debatable. Last week, Purdy was solid but rather unhelpful for fantasy managers in a home victory over the New York Jets, with 231 yards passing, 11 yards rushing, and no touchdowns or picks. At any rate, he'll have his whole complement of receivers in this one -- save for running back Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) -- so Purdy should be in for a decent day, especially with wideout Brandon Aiyuk getting another week of practice under his belt. Look for Purdy to find the end zone in Week 2, as he sits on the fantasy QB1/2 border.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed Friday that wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (chest) has begun working out again. It's excellent news for the rookie -- who traveled with the team to Minnesota -- as he can now shift his focus to returning to the field for his NFL debut. "He started working out again," said Shanahan. "I think it was a weight room workout yesterday. He's back to conditioning, getting back into football shape, and getting back to healthy." Pearsall is just 13 days removed from narrowly escaping with his life after he was shot in the chest during an attempted robbery. The bullet exited his back, near his armpit, miraculously missing bones and vital organs alike. The former first-round pick will presumably need time to get back up to speed, considering that he saw no preseason action due to a shoulder subluxation that has nagged him since the spring. San Francisco will square off against the Vikings this Sunday in their first road matchup of the season.

Updating a previous report, the San Francisco 49ers may place running back Christian McCaffrey (Achilles, calf) on the Injured Reserve on Saturday, which would rule him out for at least the next four games. The Niners ruled McCaffrey out for Week 2 versus the Minnesota Vikings this Sunday after he was unable to practice on Friday. CMC suffered a calf strain early in training camp, but he's also dealing with Achilles tendinitis, which is why he sat out the season-opening win over the New York Jets on Monday night. This is pretty much a worst-case scenario for fantasy managers that took McCaffrey at the top of their drafts, as he's now likely to miss at least the first month of the season. CMC obviously needs to be stashed everywhere. Jordan Mason, who went off as the team's RB1 in Week 1 in place of McCaffrey, now sees his fantasy stock rise even more. He's rostered in 82% of Yahoo leagues right now.