49ers @ Seahawks
Final Score: 49ers 17, Seahawks 13
Writer: Geoff Ulrich (@thefantasygrind on X/Twitter)
This was a slugfest. Two decent-looking teams, but two offenses that were stymied for big portions of this game by tough opposing defenses. Despite the low score, multiple names in this game could be on the way to big fantasy years.
San Francisco is losing some of its luster as a premier running team, but that’s likely going to push Brock Purdy‘s passing numbers up this year (as it did here) and take some of his receivers to big weeks and big years. I’ll go over that below.
The Seahawks were extremely one-dimensional on offense, and it ultimately cost them the game. I’ll go over that as well and who I think will benefit from this fact the most, outside of Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Three Up
- Ricky Pearsall — Great game. Led 49ers WRs and TEs in targets.
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba — The clear-cut No. 1 option for this offense. He may lead the league in targets and receptions.
- Zach Charbonnet — Picked up where he left off last year and looks like the best RB on the team.
Three Down
- Kenneth Walker — Very inefficient game and lost goal-line touches. Not great, Bob.
- Cooper Kupp — Cooked.
- George Kittle — Left in the first half with a hamstring injury.
San Francisco 49ers
Quarterback
Brock Purdy: 26/35, 277 yards, 2 TD, 2 INTs| 5 carries, 17 yards
Despite the two INTs, you have to like what you saw from Purdy here. He took shots downfield, made plays when the 49ers needed him to and will be relied on more this season since Christian McCaffrey may have lost some burst.
Still has great weapons to work with, and his connection with Ricky Pearsall from the preseason carried over here. Pearsall was the name he connected with downfield, and while Kittle will always be an end zone target (when he gets back), it’s Pearsall who Purdy looked to in crunch time to make the big play.
This was a tough opening matchup, so the fact that the Purdy-Pearsall pairing did well here is bullish for that duo.
Running Back
Christian McCaffrey: 22 carries, 69 yards | 10 targets, 9 receptions, 73 yards
Averaged under 3.2 YPC and looked like he’s lost a step. Still, he’s an elite receiving RB, and was consistently getting open vs. the Seattle LBs in this game. Kyle Shanahan also knows he doesn’t have any better options right now, so as long as he’s healthy, he’ll be getting snaps, and he touched the ball 31 times in this game.
You could take this huge PPR game and try to trade him (injury fears), and I wouldn’t blame you. But if he stays healthy, he’s got a legit shot to lead the league in receptions … and who exactly are you going to trade him for that will give you that kind of volume?
I’d just ride this out for now. Again, my spider-sense says he’s not the back we once knew, but he’s getting volume and CMac at 85-90% is still better than most backs.
Brian Robinson: 9 carries, 33 yards | 1 target, 1 receptions, 4 yards
One reason why I’m bullish on keeping CMac is because Brian Robinson couldn’t do anything in this game either.
Maybe it’s an O-line issue or the Seahawks front is just that good, but I didn’t see anything from Robinson here to make me worry. Isaac Guerrendo may get a shot soon if Robinson can’t step up.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Ricky Pearsall: 7 targets, 4 receptions, 108 yards
Loved this game from Pearsall. The Seahawks have a tough secondary, and he made numerous big plays downfield, including a nice double move that froze Tariq Woolen in the fourth quarter that led to a 45-yard reception.
As mentioned above, if the 49ers can’t run the ball like they used to, this is going to be more of a passing-based offense that a guy like Pearsall can excel in. Jauan Jennings is fine, but he’s not making the plays that Pearsall did in this game. I’m really bullish on him going forward.
Jauan Jennings: 5 targets, 2 receptions, 16 yards
As expected, he looked a little off after missing camp. Jennings is a solid possession receiver who would also benefit if this offense became more passing-based, but he’s probably a week or two from full speed. It was disappointing that he didn’t do more, given Kittle’s injury, but I’m not shocked he looked a little behind on things. A shoulder injury sustained in the second half puts his status in doubt for Week 2.
George Kittle: 4 targets, 4 receptions, 25 yards, TD
Kittle may have been on his way to a big game after catching an opening TD. Then he left with a hamstring injury, and backup Jake Tonges played hero, coming down with the decisive TD grab.
Tonges is a 26-year-old backup who had one target before Sunday, so you may be waiver-wire diving elsewhere if you have Kittle. Juwan Johnson, anyone?
Seattle Seahawks
Quarterback
Sam Darnold: 16-23, 150 yards | 2 carries, 14 yards
Darnold does not not have the supporting cast he did in Minnesota, and you could tell from this game that it was going to limit him severely. He was great at getting the ball to JSN, but everyone else was a complete ghost. It honestly looked like he’d never even practiced with some of these players.
The 49ers’ defense did look great in this game, so there is that, and against a weaker defense, I would expect we’ll see players like Kupp, AJ Barner, and the RBs get more done in the passing game. But against an elite defense, stay very far away from Darnold.
Running Back
Kenneth Walker: 10 carries, 20 yards | 3 targets, 3 receptions, 4 yards
YIKES. Walker was completely stymied here. It normally wouldn’t be that big a worry since he was up against an elite run-stopping front in S.F., which wasn’t afraid of Darnold at all.
However, the fact that his backup looked competent and got the majority of the work is concerning. Walker is going to keep being involved because the Seahawks have so few explosive playmakers, but this is likely a full-time timeshare at best, with Walker potentially the low man on the totem pole now.
If he puts up another poor outing with an efficient line like this, it’s plausible Seattle just decides to roll with Charbonnet as the lead back for a bit and sees what happens.
Zach Charbonnet: 12 carries, 47 yards, TD
Charbonnet looked great in this game, despite only averaging 3.9 YPC. He’s a very balanced runner who seems to have much better vision than Walker and isn’t always hunting for the big play, like his counterpart is.
At this point, it’s hard to say what the usage will be for these two backs going forward, but watching this game, I don’t see how the Seahawks don’t give him more carries. The fact that he received zero targets in this game was concerning, but I expect part of the practice this week will be about scheming up more passing opportunities for Charbonnet, who proved he was an elite receiver numerous times last season.
If you have him, I would be excited. There is the potential that Walker is dealing with something or has just fallen out of favor, and you could be looking at Charbonnet as a legit lead back here shortly. If you don’t have him, throw out some trade offers to try and get him.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Jaxon Smith-Njigba: 13 targets, 9 receptions, 124 yards
Not much to say here. The 49ers had a weaker secondary that was beset by injuries, and JSN absolutely put them in a blender all game. From start to finish, he was getting open downfield and essentially forcing Darnold to throw him the ball. If the Seahawks weren’t so conservative, JSN may have gotten 16-17 targets, and they could have won this game.
Regardless, you’ll take this first week and the knowledge that JSN can end as a top-three WR this season after watching this first game.
The one issue JSN may face is that there is legitimately no one on the depth chart to help draw coverage away from him, so great corners may be able to slow him down a bit. That said, if they keep scheming up 13-15 targets a game, it won’t matter.
Cooper Kupp: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 15 yards
It says something that against a divisional rival he’s used to playing and one of the weaker secondaries in the league, that Kupp could only draw three targets.
Maybe there are some kinks to get worked out, and maybe JSN was just so wide open all game that Darnold hyperfocused in on him, but I didn’t much like from Kupp. He wasn’t getting used to downfield and didn’t convert on a red-zone target when the Seahawks really needed him to produce as their WR2.
I see a spot for TE Elijah Arroyo to step up and be a factor, don’t sleep on Jake Bobo (concussion) when he’s back, eventually taking over starting duties or splitting work with Kupp.