San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. saw his only preseason action of the summer in a 24-24 tie with the Las Vegas Raiders on Friday night. The 28-year-old took the field with the starting unit for San Francisco's first three possessions and showed early rapport with quarterback Brock Purdy, toe-tapping the sideline for a 27-yard gain on the first play from scrimmage. Samuel, Sr. finished with two catches on three targets for 32 yards. The most important thing for 49ers fans and fantasy managers is that Samuel came away healthy after taking an awkward high/low combo shot on his second reception. Samuel, Sr. will be a low/mid WR1 when the 49ers open up against the New York Jets at home on September 9.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle looked sharp in a 24-24 preseason tie with the Las Vegas Raiders on Friday night. Kittle, who suited up in neither of the 49ers' two previous preseason games, caught three of four targets for 34 yards in Vegas. Kittle got his work in during the first quarter with the first team, including quarterback Brock Purdy and wide receiver Deebo Samuel. It was noted during the broadcast, however, that San Francisco's starters were facing Las Vegas' number three defensive unit. Kittle will be ready to roll as a mid-level fantasy TE1 in Week 1 when the 49ers open up at home against the New York Jets.

San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan Mason made his case to enter 2024 as the team's primary backup by leading all rushers in Friday night's preseason 24-24 tie with the Las Vegas Raiders. The third-year undrafted Georgia Tech product took eight carries for 42 yards, including a four-yard touchdown. He also caught one of two targets for seven yards. Mason is locked into a positional battle with the incumbent but banged-up Elijah Mitchell, rookies Isaac Guerendo and Cody Schrader, as well as veteran Matt Breida. It would seem that Mitchell would have the inside track for the job behind Christian McCaffrey after spending the better part of a season-and-a-half occupying the position. However, Mason showed much more burst in 2023, averaging 5.2 YPC to Mitchell's 3.7 YPC. Guerendo didn't do much to leapfrog Mason, gaining 10 fewer yards in three more carries than Mason, though Guerendo did have an impressive kick return for a near-touchdown. Fantasy managers looking for Christian McCaffrey's handcuff will have to speculate or wait until the situation becomes clearer.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy shook off a bit more rust in a 24-24 preseason tie at the Las Vegas Raiders. The 24-year-old completed nine of twelve pass attempts for 96 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception. He was sacked once and took one carry for a 14-yard gain. Overall, Purdy looked better than he did last week versus New Orleans while he took the offensive snaps in the first three San Francisco possessions on Friday night. Purdy showed rapport with fellow starters, involving Deebo Samuel and George Kittle for five of his nine completions, albeit against Las Vegas' third unit. The interception is better attributed to an excellent defensive play than any mistake by Purdy as Sam Webb deflected a frozen rope intended for a slanting Samuel, which landed in Chris Smith II's hands. The real mistake Purdy made on the play was throwing his head at Smith II's legs in a successful -- but meaningless -- attempt to end the return. Luckily, he wasn't hurt. Purdy will begin his 2024 season on September 9 against the New York Jets on the QB1/2 border for fantasy.

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said on Thursday that "there's really not a lot of updates. We've continued to be in communication. Nothing to report there," when asked for an update on the ongoing situation with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots have all been mentioned as potential trade partners with the Niners for Aiyuk this summer. The Patriots dropped out a while ago, though, and the Steelers' recent extension offer to Aiyuk caused him to head back to the negotiating table with the 49ers. With two weeks remaining until the start of the regular season, it's more likely that Aiyuk either signs an extension to stay in San Fran or plays in 2024 on his fifth-year option. The 26-year-old former first-rounder is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and 15 total TDs, and his fantasy value would be highest as a low-end WR1 if he sticks with the 49ers.