Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, October 29th, 3:25 PM CDT
Location: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara
Betting Odds: SF -5.5, 45.5 total via Odds Shark
Network: CBS
Writer: Steve Bradshaw (@SteveBradshawFF)
Cincinnati Bengals
Quarterbacks
Joe Burrow (Start, QB1)
Joe Burrow has been extremely disappointing this year, but I still have him grading out as a low-end QB1 this week. It’s evident that Burrow’s play has been somewhat limited by his calf injury, but the bye week should have done wonders for him. Now that Burrow has finally had a whole week to recover, I expect him to return to something resembling his former self.
The San Francisco 49ers have a fantastic defense but expect Burrow to pick up a ton of yards one way or another. The Bengals haven’t been the same this year, so even with Sam Darnold under center, the 49ers should build a comfortable enough lead to run zone and let Burrow take tons of free cheap yards.
Running Backs
Joe Mixon (Start, RB2), Trayveon Williams (Sit)
Joe Mixon has seen a massive drop in his performance since last year. Mixon hasn’t looked good at all in 2023, currently averaging 11.5 PPG. This Bengals offense isn’t doing Mixon any favors, but to be fair, he’s a 27-year-old running back who has been declining every season in recent years.
Nonetheless, in such a gross landscape, Mixon is an every-week start. Mixon crushed in 2022 with 17.1 PPG, but the community was fading him in 2023 for good reason. Even though Mixon may not be a true RB1 anymore, he’s still a viable RB2.
The backup role for the Bengals RB room is almost nonexistent. Even though Mixon hasn’t been efficient this year, Trayveon Williams isn’t seeing a fantasy-relevant role. In six games, Williams has five carries. There’s no reason to ever be starting Williams outside of a Mixon injury.
Wide Receivers / Tight Ends
Ja’Marr Chase (Start, WR1), Tee Higgins (Start, WR2), Tyler Boyd (FLEX), Irv Smith (Sit)
After scoring 52.2 fantasy points in Week 5, Ja’Marr Chase has proven he’s still an elite fantasy option. In Week 4, Chase claimed he was always open, stirring up the media. Well, Week 5 played into his point quite well. Since we’re betting on a Burrow bounce-back, Chase has a ton of upside this week, especially if a negative game script comes to fruition.
Tee Higgins has had a rough year in what has been an injury-riddled season. Due to a multitude of factors, Higgins is only averaging 8.2 PPG. That said, Higgins should be 100% healthy for this game. The 49ers are a tough opponent, but we all know Higgins has the talent. With the Bengals likely being forced to throw more, I expect Higgins to blow up sooner rather than later, perhaps this week.
Tyler Boyd isn’t the most exciting player, and I don’t love this matchup against the 49ers. On the bright side, Boyd just scored 16.8 points last week on seven targets. However, in an offense with so many mouths to feed, it’s hard to project steady volume for Boyd.
I was a big Irv Smith fan when he was coming out of Alabama, but after the passage of time, Smith doesn’t look like the player we thought he might become. The talent is there with Smith, but he’s struggled to stay healthy his whole career. Even if he is able to stay healthy, he’ll be the number four target on an offense that hasn’t been firing on all cylinders.
San Francisco 49ers
Quarterback
Brock Purdy (Sit, Injury), Sam Darnold (Sit, QB2)
Brock Purdy may or may not be the franchise quarterback for the 49ers, but one thing’s for sure: he has been solid for fantasy purposes. Despite playing in this run-heavy 49ers offense, Purdy is still putting up low-end QB1 numbers with 17.1 PPG in 2023. Unfortunately, he began experiencing concussion symptoms on the plane ride home from Minnesota. He’s now in concussion protocol, and the chances of him playing on a short week are near zero.
Enter Sam Darnold, who seemingly has played for more teams over the past five years than any other quarterback not named Carson Wentz or Baker Mayfield. Darnold ran the offense efficiently during training camp and in the preseason, and now gets a turn to show what he can do in a Kyle Shanahan offense. That said, it’s worth noting that Deebo Samuel is injured, which limits the overall upside of this offense quite a bit, no matter who’s under center. If all goes according to what many experts believe and the 49ers build an insurmountable lead against the Bengals, Darnold more than likely won’t be forced to throw the ball a lot in the second half.
Running Backs
Christian McCaffrey (Start, RB1), Jordan Mason (Sit), Elijah Mitchell (Sit),
Barring any further setbacks, Christian McCaffrey is the RB1 this week and every other week going forward. McCaffrey has now scored a touchdown in 16 straight games, which is just nuts. The bottom line is that when he’s healthy, McCaffrey should be a must-start, no matter the matchup.
McCaffrey will play this week, and logged nearly every running back snap in Week 7, effectively killing the fantasy values of Jordan Mason and Elijah Mitchell. Unless McCaffrey aggravates his injury, Mason and Mitchell won’t see the field much. If they’re on the 49ers bench, then they should be riding pine in fantasy, as well.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Brandon Aiyuk (Start, WR1), Ray-Ray McCloud (Start, Flex), Jauan Jennings (Sit), George Kittle (Start TE1)
Assuming Deebo Samuel sits out, this could be a massive week for Brandon Aiyuk. The 49ers need to get in a shootout to help Aiyuk, but this is quite possible considering they have the third-most pass attempts in the league. Aiyuk is an extremely talented player, and he’s proven as much so far this year. The 49ers really only have two options in the passing game. Aiyuk and George Kittle.
Kittle hasn’t been very consistent this year, but what else is new? However, he does play better when Samuel is missing, considering how little volume there is to go around. This boils down to simple math: there are elite playmakers in this 49ers offense, but not enough volume. When a top playmaker goes down, other talented players command more volume than they would normally see.
Those one-point weeks from Kittle hurt, but in the end, these points add up all the same. Either way, If you drafted Kittle, you need to play him, conserving the amount of draft capital that was spent on him.
Right now, Samuel’s replacement is Ray-Ray McCloud. Let’s keep this short and sweet: if you’re starting Ray-Ray McCloud, you have issues. McCloud has never averaged more than 4 PPG in any season, which tells you all you need to know. Please don’t start McCloud…this week or ever. Sadly, Jauan Jennings isn’t much better. A non-relevant player, Jennings is a slight step up from McCloud, as Jennings is averaging 5 PPG this year. Those planning on starting McCloud or Jennings have our condolences.
I can’t anymore with these intrusive ads. Very poor placement.