Kickoff: Sunday, November 28th at 4:25 PM ET
Location: Levis Stadium in Santa Clara, CA
Betting Odds: SF, -3.5, 48 Total on SI Sportsbook
Network: FOX
Minnesota Vikings
Quarterback
Kirk Cousins (Start)
Kirk Cousins body needs to be studied by science pic.twitter.com/zMiIdUqitk
— anybody but McCarthy (@notHuberto) November 23, 2021
There’s a real narrative behind Kirk Cousins season, on the road Cousins is just about flawless. Throwing for 1,449 yards, 12 TDs, and no interceptions while completing 68 percent of his passes. Cousins should have no problem exploiting a weak San Francisco secondary. Look for Cousin to be a very strong QB1 candidate this week.
Running Backs
Dalvin Cook (Start)
Dalvin Cook is a locked and loaded start every week that he plays. One thing to be aware of in this game will be the 49ers’ run defense has begun to solidify itself as one of the best in the league. The past two weeks they have nullified James Robinson and Darrell Henderson. I don’t expect Cook to be held under 50 yards, but I wouldn’t be shocked if he’s held under 100 yards. Cook is an RB1, who could underperform.
Dalvin Cook with another top 10 RB performance on the week!
Stats vs #GoPackGo:
22 Car
86 Yards
1 TD
13 Yard Long4 Targets
3 Rec
29 Yards
19 Yard Long⬇️All Touches vs Green Bay⬇️ pic.twitter.com/mHPO0w8pBI
— Dynasty Nerds (@DynastyNerds) November 22, 2021
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends
Justin Jefferson (Start), Adam Thielen (Flex), Tyler Conklin (Sit), KJ Osburn (Sit)
Justin Jefferson.
That’s the tweet.
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/livjwbV2Ft
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 21, 2021
Justin Jefferson made a mockery of Eric Stokes in Week 11, I expect he’s going to have an easy day this week against Josh Norman. Jefferson is going to be a WR1 this week against this putrid secondary. Adam Thielen should be the other receiver in this rotation to eat, I expect he’ll get his TD in this one and be a WR2 on Sunday. Tyler Conklin is someone I’m going to keep out of my lineups. Simply put the 49ers are the best by far against the tight end position, only allowing 34 receptions for 294 yards and 4 TDs to opposing TEs this year. As for KJ Osburn, I think this game will be a slower-paced matchup, and thus will have limited opportunities for players outside of the core three (Cook, Jefferson, and Thielen)
San Francisco 49ers
Quarterback
Jimmy Garoppolo (Start)
Over the last 4 games, Jimmy Garoppolo is QB6
— Jeff Bell (@4WhomJBellTolls) November 23, 2021
Jimmy Garoppolo has been great since Week 8 throwing for 1,006 yards and 6 TDs while only throwing 1 interception. The Niners’ run attack and the emergence of Deebo Samuel as one of the best in the game have allowed Jimmy G to thrive in this offense. I think this should be a good week to put Garoppolo in against the Vikings who have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points (19.2) to QBs. This game should make Jimmy G a solid QB2 in Superflex formats.
Running Backs
Eli Mitchell (Start), Jeff Wilson (Flex)
#49ers rookie Eli Mitchell with the huge TD run. pic.twitter.com/re60oYlcuq
— NFL Unlimited (@NFLUnlimited) September 12, 2021
Eli Mitchell is an absolute monster in San Francisco and if he is going to suit up against the Viking then I like his chances to put up solid RB2 numbers. Mitchell has three games of 100+ yards and is averaging 4.8 ypc this season. He’s an RB2 this week and should be started. Jeff Wilson’s status is dependent on Mitchell, Wilson will be a good flex if he is the starting running back.
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends
Deebo Samuel (Start), Brandon Aiyuk (Flex), George Kittle (Start)
George Kittle — stupidly good at run-blocking and I'm running out of words to describe how good he is.
Deebo Samuel just out-races everyone else to the end zone. Unreal how good his vision is, considering he's a wide receiver. pic.twitter.com/j5ZgMFwcQn
— Akash Anavarathan (@akashanav) November 24, 2021
Deebo Samuel is a locked and loaded WR1 in this game. Samuel is a rare talent at receiver, he doesn’t run the best routes but he’s by far the hardest guy to get down in open space. His 541 yards after the catch are indicative of how hard Samuel works in open space and surprisingly fast he is. Brandon Aiyuk is the other wide receiver option in this offense and someone who can be very explosive but can be gameplan dependent. When the team relies heavily on its run game, it becomes a Deebo and Mitchell-centric offense, I have a feeling this game is going to be a lot of back and forth leading to more receiving usage for Aiyuk. Look for him to be a solid WR2/flex in this game. George Kittle is the final piece to talk about in this game. While the Vikings have been good against tight ends this year, I don’t see any reason to not play Kittle in this game. Especially with him catching a TD in his last three games, I’m starting Kittle as a TE1 this week.