Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, October 4 at 8:20 PM ET
Location: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA
Betting Odds: SF -7, 45 total via Oddsshark
Network: NBC
Philadelphia Eagles
Quarterback
Carson Wentz (Sit)
Coming off a tie last week that saw Carson Wentz miss several throws, including a 55-yard touchdown to Miles Sanders, the Eagles are reeling. Injury-plagued and undermanned, the offense is being held together with duct tape and a lot of people are calling for Jalen Hurts to be thrown into the mix. Yikes. For now, Wentz is off the radar as even a streamer, throwing double the interceptions as he has touchdowns and having almost as many incompletions as completions. Until Alshon Jeffery returns and is hopefully in form, this is a situation to avoid.
Running Back
Miles Sanders (Start, RB1), Boston Scott (Sit)
We had to wait a week, but Miles Sanders is as good as advertised. With all the injuries at the running back position, he would be a top 5 running back taken if we drafted today. Week 2 he had a great game, totaling a little over 20 PPR points. Last week was down to 14 PPR points, but of no-fault, to him, he was missed on a streak down the sideline for what should have been a walk-in a 55-yard touchdown. Through two games, Sanders has 45 touches and 238 total yards. He should continue to be a top of the line RB1 as we head into the middle part of the season. Boston Scott is currently just a handcuff and as we saw in Week 1 there is little reason to hold on to him based on how he was used with no Miles Sanders.
Wide Receivers/Tight End
Greg Ward (Start, Flex), DeSean Jackson (Sit, Questionable), John Hightower (Sit), Zach Ertz (Start, TE1)
Already waving the white flag is the Eagles receiving group. Already down Alshon Jeffery for the start of the year, we have seen significant and nagging injuries to DeSean Jackson, Jalen Reagor, JJ Arcega-Whiteside, and now Dallas Goedert. The leader in the clubhouse for receiving is Zach Ertz, followed by flex play Greg Ward who broke out last week as the last man standing with 8/72/1 on 11 targets. With Jackson dealing with a nagging hamstring injury for the past four years, it is easy to see that Ward may see his role continue to be solidified in the short term with Jeffery expected to miss at least one more week. John Hightower is a stash as he has gotten some murmurs, but for now, the only players to trust this week are Ward and Ertz…and Miles Sanders, but you knew that already.
San Francisco 49ers
Quarterback
Jimmy Garoppolo (Sit, Questionable)
For as many injuries that Philadelphia has had, the 49ers have them beat. Jimmy Garoppolo is the first of many in this write up that we will discuss. GQ Jimmy is scheduled to be back this week after being injured in Week 2. He had a decent Week 1 start, but I am not trusting him in his first game back from injury. If he doesn’t end up playing, Nick Mullens is also not a suggested start this week. This team is built around the running game regardless.
Running Back
Raheem Mostert (Start, RB2 – Questionable), Jerrick McKinnon (Start, Flex if Mostert is out- Questionable), Jeff Wilson Jr. (Start, Flex – RB2 if McKinnon and Mostert are out)
In the absence of Raheem Mostert, Jerrick McKinnon(77 total yards, 1TD) and Jeff Wilson Jr.(69 total yards, 2TDs) saw their roles expand. The hope is that this week Mostert will be back, but if he isn’t or is limited, Wilson and McKinnon should see the same expanded roles. This is a big mess for fantasy owners and one you will have to keep a close eye on is the late game on Sunday night. Mostert and McKinnon are both dealing with injuries and have a chance of not playing or being limited. Most of Mostert’s production has come on two huge plays in each of the first two weeks, but against an Eagles team that they are expected to be up on and churning the clock, Mostert should get plenty of runs if active. Being the late game, PLEASE put whichever of these guys you are planning on starting in your Flex spot so that you can sub them out if needed, especially if you have someone like Melvin Gordon playing on Thursday night.
Wide Receivers/Tight End
Brandon Aiyuk (Start, Flex), Kendrick Bourne (Sit), Mohamed Sanu (Sit), George Kittle (Start, TE1 – Questionable), Ross Dwelley (Start, TE2 if Kittle is out)
As I stated above, the injuries have been mounting and the receiving group for the 49ers has been no different. Deebo Samuel has been on the IR, but it looks like he is likely for Week 5. In his stead, Brandon Aiyuk was serviceable last week with 101 total yards and a touchdown, a trend that could continue if George Kittle is inactive. Until Mohamed Sanu or Kendrick Bourne show something, there won’t be any reason to roster them. Speaking of Kittle, he was replaced the last two weeks by Jordan Reed who was popping off until he went down with an injury as usual. Tough break for him. If Kittle returns, he should be a high end TE1 assuming no real limitations. If he is out then Ross Dwelley becomes an interesting streamer for this week so keep an eye on that if you are hurting at tight end.
-Matt Dean (@MattDeanQBList on twitter, mdean8 on Reddit)