San Francisco 49ers vs New Orleans Saints
This game lived up to its billing as two contenders from the NFC, although with the defenses involved a much lower score was expected. The Saints scored on their first four drives of the game and appeared to be unstoppable on offense, but the 49ers weren’t far behind scoring on four of their first drives and taking a one-point lead into halftime thanks to a failed two-point conversion attempt by the Saints. The second half started a little differently, as the 49ers threw an interception on their first drive which led to a Saints field goal and then went three and out. However, the momentum shifted when Alvin Kamara fumbled the ball and gave the 49ers a very short field which they capitalized on thanks to a George Kittle touchdown. The Saints rallied late, scoring touchdowns on their final two drives and taking the lead back with under a minute left. Their lead would not hold up, however, as a long gain by Kittle coupled with a facemask penalty on the Saints put the 49ers into field goal range, and Robbie Gould hit the game-winner as time expired. The 49ers won 48-46 despite the Saints holding the edge in time of possession 31:23 to 28:37.
San Francisco 49ers
Quarterback
- Jimmy Garoppolo: 26/35, 349 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT | 2 carries, 1 yard
On the road against a tough defense, Jimmy Garoppolo produced a statement game, leading the 49ers to a close win against a contender in a game where the 49ers defense allowed 46 points. Garoppolo was accurate and had a lot of success attacking the middle of the field, particularly on slants to Emmanuel Sanders and, in the red zone, Kendrick Bourne. The 49ers used a quick passing attack as a substitute for their usual run-heavy approach today, and while Garoppolo may not have made any incredible highlight plays he executed their offensive game plan perfectly. His interception was a result of a ball that deflected off the hands of his intended receiver to a defender, and aside from that, the 49ers offense was essentially mistake-free. Garoppolo gets the Falcons next week, and while it feels a bit like chasing given his huge performance today he should be firmly in consideration next week if you are not already solidified at quarterback.
Running Backs
- Raheem Mostert: 10 carries, 69 yards, 1 TD | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 40 yards, 1 TD
- Tevin Coleman: 3 carries, 6 yards
- Matt Breida: 6 carries, 54 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 4 yards
Raheem Mostert built on his strong performance against the Ravens last week with another nice fantasy outing today. He saw less work as the 49ers got away from the run in this game but he still comfortable led the backfield in touches and looked like their best running back today. He was wide open on his receiving touchdown off of a well-designed trick play and he showed excellent burst to get through the hole and outrun the defense to the end zone on a 10-yard touchdown run. Matt Breida returned from injury and looked fine but was Mostert’s backup, while Tevin Coleman was only given three carries. Mostert seems to be the guy to trust going forward, while the other two running backs are too risky to find their way into your fantasy lineups.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- Emmanuel Sanders: 9 targets, 7 receptions, 157 yards, 1 TD | 1/1, 35 yards, 1 TD
- Deebo Samuel: 8 targets, 5 receptions, 76 yards | 2 carries, 33 yards
- Kendrick Bourne: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 18 yards, 2 TDs
- George Kittle: 8 targets, 6 receptions, 67 yards, 1 TD
Emmanuel Sanders continues to prove he was a great mid-season addition for the 49ers, dominating as a receiver and even getting involved as a passer on a trick play. He was able to get open over the middle frequently, including catching a 75-yard touchdown on a deep post route that saw him out-muscle his defender when the two were battling for position and make a nice read on a ball that was perhaps a little under-thrown. He did most of his work on shorter routes, but it’s always encouraging to see that the big-play potential is there and Sanders is locked in as one of the focal points of this passing attack. Deebo Samuel had one fewer target than Sanders but also chipped in two carries that went for nice gains, while Kendrick Bourne caught two short touchdowns by using his frame to box out his defender. Those two, along with Sanders, appear to be the three-receiver set the 49ers have settled on and they all have a good matchup next week against Atlanta. George Kittle looked like the difficult to tackle runner we’ve come to expect, scoring a short touchdown with an impressive effort to dive into the end zone after the catch appeared to cause him to lose his balance and adding another long catch to set up the game-winning field goal.
New Orleans Saints
Quarterbacks
- Drew Brees: 29/40 349 yards, 5 TDs | 1 carry, 1 yard, 1 TD
- Taysom Hill: 0/1 | 5 carries, 13 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 12 yards
There’s no place like home for Drew Brees, as he lit up the 49ers defense for five touchdowns. He hit Jared Cook deep down the seam twice for two quick touchdowns in the first quarter, added one of his signature short-yardage touchdown leaps where he stretches the ball out over the pile and led a late touchdown drive to put the Saints up with less than a minute to play. Brees is still losing snaps at quarterback to trick plays designed for Taysom Hill, but today was a good reminder that Brees is capable of these huge games especially when playing in New Orleans. The Saints host the Colts next week, so Brees can be looked to again to make a fantasy playoff start.
Running Backs
- Alvin Kamara: 13 carries, 25 yards | 6 targets, 4 receptions, 18 yards
- Latavius Murray: 7 carries, 69 yards | 3 targets, 2 receptions, 25 yards
This game turned into a shootout and the Saints got away from running the ball, but it’s still disappointing to see Alvin Kamara handle the ball so few times. Kamara was stuffed at the 1-yard line, but otherwise was unable to get much going and had a costly fumble that led to a 49ers touchdown. He had a 17-yard carry, but only managed 25 total rushing yards which is a credit to the very talented front seven of the 49ers. Latavius Murray had more success on fewer touches but did not see enough volume to get going. If you survived this down week from Kamara he’s too talented to bench going forward, but Murray is probably best left on the bench next week.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- Michael Thomas: 15 targets, 11 receptions, 134 yards, 1 TD
- Ted Ginn: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 50 yards
- Tre’Quan Smith: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 29 yards, 1 TD
- Jared Cook: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 64 yards, 2 TDs
- Josh Hill: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 4 yards, 1 TD
Jared Cook was off to a monster start with two quick touchdowns but took a hit to the head that knocked him out of the game with a concussion. Josh Hill scored a touchdown after Cook went out, but he doesn’t offer the same field-stretching dynamic that Cook does so it would be a downgrade to the offense if Cook misses any extended time. Michael Thomas continued his dominant season with another double-digit reception game and over 100 receiving yards to go with a touchdown where he did most of the damage after the catch. Tre’Quan Smith took a drag route for a late go-ahead touchdown and showed off some of his speed but was otherwise uninvolved.
- Dan Adams