Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, October 23rd, at 4:25 PM EST
Location: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California
Betting Odds: KC -3, 48.5 total via Oddsshark
Network: FOX
Writer: Matthew Cava (@cavaM_ Twitter & Reddit)
Kansas City Chiefs
Quarterback
Patrick Mahomes (Start, QB1)
Having completed 62.5% of his completions in the loss to Buffalo last week, Patrick Mahomes enters Week 7 holding a 17:4 passing touchdown to interception ratio; two of the picks came against the Bills. The 49ers have given up the 30th most fantasy points to QBs this season, but we know Mahomes is matchup-proof, and will remain an elite option this week. FantasyData has been projected to finish as the QB4 on the week. It’s worth mentioning that San Francisco just allowed Marcus Mariota to total three touchdowns on the day; two passing and one on the ground.
Running Backs
Clyde Edwards-Helaire (Start if you must, FLEX), Jerick McKinnon (Sit), Isiah Pacheco (Sit)
There is one running back you could stomach starting in Kansas City, and it’s Clyde Edwards-Helaire. CEH has been disappointing this season to say the least, ranking as the RB13 on the year in PPR formats per FantasyData. He’s not doing much on the ground – 256 yards on 59 carries – and he only has been targeted 18 times in the pass game the first six weeks of the season. It’s hard to fathom him exploding against the 9ers, who have given up the 30th most fantasy points to RB’s on the year, and thus I have him pegged down to providing a FLEX-output, which could line him up to finish with 6-12 points in PPR leagues. Both Jerick McKinnon and rookie Isiah Pacheco eat into CEH’s workload, but not nearly enough to warrant fantasy relevancy.
Wide Receivers/Tight End
JuJu Smith-Schuster (Start, WR3), Mecole Hardman (Sit), Marques Valdes-Scantling (Sit), Travis Kelce (Start, TE1)
Coming off of his best game as a Chief, JuJu Smith-Schuster caught all five of his targets against the Bills for 113 yards and a touchdown. His time in Kansas City hasn’t panned out as envisioned before last week, but JuJu will remain a viable WR3, especially if you are in a BYE-week bind. Through the first six games, he leads the Chiefs receivers in targets with 40, and has 21 total within the last three games. The likes of Marques Valdes-Scantling and Mecole Hardman are hard to trust on the weekly, especially Hardman. MVS is a shaky start this week, and if you can afford to sit him, you should.
There isn’t much to say about Travis Kelce other than it must be nice to roster him.
San Francisco 49ers
Quarterback
Jimmy Garoppolo (Start if you must, QB2)
41 pass attempts was a season-high for Jimmy Garoppolo, and he completed 29 passes for 296 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. It’s hard to envision Jimmy G ever taking over a game, and Week 7 won’t be any easier as he has to attempt to keep pace with Mahomes. Game script may favor him in the sense that he may be tasked to throw as much as he did in the loss to Atlanta. That being said, it’s worth mentioning the likes of Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, and Kirk Cousins are all on their BYE, so Garoppolo may have some streaming appeal if you’re in a bind.
Running Backs
Jeff Wilson Jr. (Start, FLEX), Tevin Coleman (Sit)
It was a forgettable Week 6 for Jeff Wilson Jr., as he rushed for only 25 yards on seven carries, and lost a fumble in the process — good for 0.50 points in a full-PPR league. Yikes. Weeks 2-5 he was posting fairly consistent numbers — 15.1 points in full-PPR formats — so you could argue it was an outlier performance against the Falcons. In any case, Wilson lines up to be a touchdown dependent option against Kansas City due to the lack of his pass-game involvement. Tevin Coleman scored twice against the Panthers in Week 5, but then went ahead and had three yards on four carries against Atlanta. He is nothing more than Wilson’s backup, and can be sent back to the wire if you added him this past week.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Deebo Samuel (Start, WR1), Brandon Aiyuk (Start, WR3), George Kittle (Start, TE2)
Deebo Samuel didn’t find the end zone, but he did turn 10 targets into seven receptions for 79 yards, as well as two carries for 11 on the ground. If San Francisco wants to stay in this game, they’ll need to get creative with Samuel’s usage, and this could be a game where we see him utilized more than Brandon Aiyuk. And speaking of, don’t go chasing touchdowns, but Aiyuk is coming off a two-score outing against the Falcons. He was targeted 11 times, catching eight passes for 83 yards. This was no doubt his best game of the season, but the trips to the end zone surely won’t remain at such a cadence. You can start him again this week though, as the 49ers should find themselves having to chase the Chiefs offense. Consider Aiyuk a solid WR3 in this spot.
Tight end George Kittle, like Samuel, had 10 targets against Atlanta. He caught eight of those for 83 yards, which tied Aiyuk for the team-lead on the day. Also like Aiyuk, it was his best game on the season – granted he’s played in only four games – but Kittle will hope to have an even bigger game against a Chiefs defense that just allowed Buffalo’s Dawson Knox to catch all three of his targets for a 37 yards and the game-winning touchdown.