Game Info
Kickoff: Monday, December 7th at 8:15 PM ET
Location: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ
Betting Odds: BUF -2.5, 48 total via Oddsshark
Network: ESPN
Buffalo Bills
Quarterback
Josh Allen (Start, QB1)
Despite a rough day at the office against a Joey Bosa-inspired Chargers outfit last weekend, Josh Allen will remain a top 5 fantasy QB going into the matchup with the 49ers on Monday Night Football. Bills Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll changed the gameplan somewhat to account for the Chargers pass-rush and Allen could be actively seen looking for his running backs out of the backfield for check-downs. This was mainly due to the Chargers attempting to eliminate Stefon Diggs from the Bills attack. Diggs caught 7 passes but for just 39 yards and Allen was responsible for a horrible interception trying to force the ball to Diggs in double coverage. The 49ers have really struggled this season against mobile quarterbacks so Allen should once again become a factor for high productivity through the air and on the ground.
Running Backs
Devin Singletary (Sit, RB2), Zack Moss (Start, FLEX)
Signs of life in the Bills backfield last week could quickly be extinguished by an improving 49ers run defense. Devin Singletary rushed 11 times for 82 but he coughed up a costly fumble in the 2nd half. Zack Moss has emerged as an option inside the 10-yard line alongside Allen for Buffalo, which limits Singletary significantly and makes Moss a decent FLEX option for this matchup. Still, the better money is on Allen leading the team in rushing attempts and rushing scores.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Stefon Diggs (Start, WR1), Cole Beasley (Start, FLEX), Gabriel Davis (Start, FLEX), Dawson Knox (Sit)
Stefon Diggs has made many impressive cornerbacks look a bit foolish this season, and that trend could continue with Richard Sherman. Diggs lit up Sherman when the Vikings faced the 49ers and his route-running is likely to be too much for the veteran to handle. Diggs is a WR1 with TD upside this week. Cole Beasley currently sits as the fantasy WR24. A great value for his draft capital in the preseason. The Bills are using Beasley all over the field and this can only improve his outlook down the stretch. Rookie diamond-in-the-rough, Gabriel Davis has taken full advantage of John Brown‘s injury to become a boom or bust deep threat for this Buffalo offense. He caught his 2nd TD in 3 games at the weekend on a long ball from Beasley. He is a risky yet intriguing FLEX option this weekend.
San Francisco 49ers
Quarterback
Nick Mullens (Sit)
No! No!…NO! Do not start Nick Mullens anywhere for any reason. He was atrocious last weekend and his stats were buffed up by Deebo Samuel‘s monster day. It may well be that happens once again but Mullens looks extremely unlikely to throw for a touchdown anytime soon. The Bills’ secondary is currently looking fierce behind Tre White and Jordan Poyer once again, who will be looking to feed on the fact that Mullens has thrown 4 picks in his last 3 games.
Running Backs
Raheem Mostert (Start, RB2), Jeffrey Wilson (Sit), Jerick McKinnon (Sit)
Welcome back Raheem Mostert, who led the 49ers backfield with 18 touches and ran in for a score on the outside run scheme. He did fall victim to Aaron Donald, who forced a fumble which was returned for a defensive touchdown. However, Mostert didn’t lose any touches from that, and considering Jeffrey Wilson’s fumble too and Jerick McKinnon was simply ignored, this is Mostert’s backfield for the rest of the year. He is a healthy start with a high-RB2 projection.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Deebo Samuel (Start, WR2), Brandon Aiyuk (Start, FLEX), Kendrick Bourne (Sit), Ross Dwelley (Sit)
With the limited Mullens under center, this offense is all about deception, trickery, and yards after contact (YAC). Both Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk will be given plenty of opportunities with a designed pre-snap motion to get them going against the Bills. They are both a worthy start. Samuel has the pedigree and recency bias, exploding for 133 yards on 11 backfield tosses (well, pretty much) last week against the Rams. 1st-round pick Aiyuk hasn’t really justified the 49ers moving up for him in the draft. However, he has the speed to burn. The rest of this receiving corps can be quickly dismissed.
-Benjamin Haller (@benjaminhaller1 on Twitter)