Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, October 20th, 2024, 4:25 ET
Location: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California
Network: FOX
Kansas City Chiefs
Quarterback
Patrick Mahomes II: Streaming Option, QB2
No, that’s not a typo — we have relegated Patrick Mahomes II to the streaming tier of QBs. In 2024, Mahomes is yet to finish inside the top-12 QBs in a single week and has only thrown multiple TDs twice. We know the talent level we’re dealing with here — Mahomes is obviously one of, if not the best quarterback in today’s NFL, and the Chiefs are currently one of two undefeated teams left, but Kansas City’s style of play this year hasn’t translated to fantasy success for Mahomes and his owners. Players such as Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold are better plays than Mahomes this week. Imagine typing that sentence two years ago.
Running Back
Kareem Hunt: Start, RB2
Sit the rest
The arrival of Kareem Hunt solved the issue of Kansas City’s RB revolving door, as the veteran immediately assumed a massive share of the opportunities in the backfield. Hunt clearly has a little bit of gas left in the tank, but he has a bit of a tougher matchup against a stout 49ers defense in Week 7. Still, he’s the only appealing option left in the post-Isiah Pacheco Chiefs backfield, so fire him up assuming another strong workload, and leave the rest of these options on waivers.
Wide Receiver
JuJu Smith-Schuster: FLEX Option, WR3
Xavier Worthy: FLEX Option, WR4
We’re turning back the clock once again with JuJu Smith-Schuster, who had his best game in years in the first full game without Rashee Rice back in Week 5. Smith-Schuster scored 20 PPR points by catching 7 passes for 130 scoreless yards. It’ll be a tough performance to replicate, but somebody has to eat up the volume left behind by Rice, and Smith-Schuster is a more likely candidate to run these types of routes than Xavier Worthy based on what we’ve seen so far this season. Worthy again profiles as a boom-bust option in Week 7 and will continue to do so until we see a sustained increase in his target volume. His 6 targets in Week 5 were a season-high, so he’ll look to build on that against the 49ers. Worthy has a high upside if he can tap into more short and intermediate routes in his route tree.
Tight End
Travis Kelce: Start, TE1
Just like that, Travis Kelce has turned in back-to-back top-5 TE performances in his past two games after looking like he was on his last legs through the first three weeks of the season. Many hypothesized that Kelce would see an uptick in usage with Rice out and were proven correct with Kelce earning 9 and 10 targets in the past two games. Fire Kelce back up as a weekly TE1.
San Francisco 49ers
Quarterback
Brock Purdy: Start, QB1
Brock Purdy comes in near the end of our QB1 ranks as our QB11 on the week. The Chiefs are middle-of-the-pack when it comes to points allowed to opposing QBs, but Purdy’s sensational supporting cast makes him a solid weekly option with upside. His scoring hasn’t been quite as prolific with Christian McCaffrey, but with a collection of pass-catchers this talented, Purdy is a threat to throw for 3+ TDs in any given week.
Running Back
Jordan Mason: Start, RB2
Isaac Guerendo: Sit, RB4
The only reason we have Jordan Mason listed as an RB2 as opposed to an RB1 is the murky situation surrounding his shoulder injury. Mason notably came out for a single snap in the 2nd half of last week’s game before watching the remainder of the contest from the sideline. If he’s able to get back to full health, Mason will once again be a reliable workhorse option and should be started in all leagues. If he doesn’t play, Isaac Guerendo immediately becomes a starting option, albeit with a lower floor and ceiling than Mason. Guerendo nearly reached 100 yards rushing last week, but almost all of those yards came on a single play at the very end of the game.
Wide Receiver
Deebo Samuel Sr: Start, WR2
Brandon Aiyuk: FLEX Option, WR3
Deebo Samuel appears to be nursing a little bit of a wrist injury, but it seems unlikely he will miss Sunday’s clash between these two powerhouse teams. He’s a solid start every week due to his big-play ability and creative usage in the offense as a “wide back.” Things appeared to be looking up for Brandon Aiyuk following an 8-catch, 144-yard performance in Week 5, but he came crashing back down to earth in Week 6 with another sub-10-point performance. We know Aiyuk has the talent, but he hasn’t displayed reliability this season, meaning he ranks as a FLEX option for right now.
Tight End
George Kittle: Start, TE1
George Kittle drafters may be some of the only fantasy gamers who are truly happy with how the tight end situation has shaken out in 2024. Kittle’s lowest weekly finish came in Week 1 as TE10, and he has been a top-4 TE in every week since. Kittle appears to be a focal point in the CMC-less 49ers offense and he should continue to be treated as such against the Chiefs. Fire him up and enjoy the ride.