San Francisco 49ers @ New Orleans Saints
Final Score: 49ers 26, Saints 21
Writer: Pranav Babarjung
An opening half that was decided equally by strong defensive play, and concerning quarterback play was dominated by the two dual-threat backs in Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara. The second half was a different story. Both Mac Jones and Spencer Rattler stepped it up as they finished the game with a combined 6 passing touchdowns. Despite the offense giving the Saints two opportunities to take back the lead in the fourth quarter, Nick Bosa and rookie Mykel Williams kept up the pressure and secured the game for the 9ers.
Three Up
- Christian McCaffrey – As expected, CMC continues to own this backfield and found his way into the end zone at the end of the first half.
- Jauan Jennings – Despite being on a snap count last week, Jauan Jennings reprised his role as the 9ers’ alpha receiver, leading in both targets and yards.
- Juwan Johnson – Last week’s fantasy TE1 had another good showing this week with a receiving touchdown.
Two Down
- Ricky Pearsall – Slick Rick started off hot, but had only one successful target in the entire second half.
- Kendre Miller – Miller struggled today and looks to be no threat to Kamara’s workload.
San Francisco 49ers
Quarterback
Mac Jones: 26/39, 279 Yards, 3 TD | 6 Carries, 6 Yards, Fumble (LOST)
It took a little bit for Mac Jones to get into his groove, but once he did, he looked solid. He did seem to stumble a little in the face of direct pressure. The fumble happened on a questionable attempt to get a quick pass out before taking a sack, which did lead to a New Orleans touchdown. Jones looked comfortable getting the ball out on quick, short passes, and successfully hit Jauan Jennings on a slant route for a 42-yard trip to the end zone. Jones should be able to keep the 9ers afloat until Brock Purdy returns from injury.
Running Back
Christian McCaffrey: 13 Carries, 55 Yards | 7 Targets, 6 Reception, 52 Yards, TD
CMC performs the same role as we’ve come to expect, but the team is definitely taking precautions to make sure he stays healthy. Gone are the days when Shanahan would run him into the ground. He still gets the lion’s share of the workload in this backfield, but he comes off the field more often to give Robinson Jr. a role in both the ground and pass-blocking game. A touchdown results in a good fantasy day for CMC.
Brian Robinson Jr.: 6 Carries, 20 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, -1 Yard
BRob was brought in to give McCaffrey some rest, and his carries were only on early downs. Not too relevant from a fantasy perspective, but he plays an important role in keeping the offense fresh.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Jauan Jennings: 10 Targets, 5 Receptions, 89 Yards, TD
Calf strains and contract disputes are in the rearview mirror as Jennings led the 9ers in targets, receiving yards, and nabbed a long touchdown. Starting in the second half, Jennings seemed to be the go-to guy for Mac Jones. The day wasn’t perfect for Jennings, however. In the fourth quarter, he had two potentially devastating drops on third and long in back-to-back drives, but the defense pulled through to keep the Saints from scoring.
Ricky Pearsall: 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 56 Yards | 1 Carry, -4 Yards
Ricky Pearsall was good for consistent chunks of yardage on his first-half receptions. In the second half, though, Slick Rick slipped completely out of Jones’ field of vision. He only had one reception (middle of the 3rd quarter) and was doing cardio for the rest of the game. Now that Jennings is healthy, he seems to be the focal point of this 49ers passing attack.
Kendrick Bourne: 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 32 Yards
The newest addition to the 9ers receiving room had an unimpactful first game, but did catch all 3 of his targets.
Jake Tonges: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 31 Yards
Following George Kittle‘s early exit last week, Jake Tonges looked to be the replacement as he walked away with the receiving touchdown. This week made it more apparent that TE targets are going to be evenly spread, but he was still the most targeted of the three.
Luke Farrell: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 15 Yards, TD
Farrell got the receiving touchdown to give the 49ers the first score of the game.
New Orleans Saints
Quarterback
Spencer Rattler: 25/34, 207 Yards, 3 TDs | 4 Carries, 14 Yards
Rattler had a shaky start, going 1/8 on the first two drives, including a missed long TD to Chris Olave on the first possession. Eventually, he did manage to put it all together and was responsible for all of the Saints’ points this week. He even used his legs to extend drives on two third down plays. Rattler was pressured often and struggled in those moments. Given time, Rattler has the potential to make the right play, but this offensive line was not able to consistently stop the power of Bosa and Williams.
Running Back
Alvin Kamara: 21 Carries, 99 Yards, Fumble (Lost) | 6 Targets, 6 Receptions, 21 Yards
Kamara has not lost a step despite his age. He is still able to handle the ridiculous workload pushed on him in this Kellen Moore scheme. His only mistake was a costly fumble at the SF 30 that led to a 49ers touchdown. The only concern with Kamara is the lack of touchdown opportunity in an offense that decided to go for (successful) short passing plays on both 3-yard line plays.
Kendre Miller: 5 Carries, 8 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 2 Yards
Miller was inefficient on his limited carries, but performed well enough as a returner. He was not nearly as explosive or shifty as Kamara.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Chris Olave: 10 Targets, 6 Receptions, 54 Yards
Olave’s targets were both front-loaded and back-loaded, for lack of a better term. He had 4 reception-less targets on the first drive, including one where Rattler missed him for a long touchdown. After that, he essentially disappeared until the end of the third quarter. Once they were in crunch time, he caught multiple short to medium passes to eclipse Rashid Shaheed as the receiving leader. Olave had no red zone looks.
Rashid Shaheed: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 52 Yards, TD
Shaheed looked to be in for a big game with a 39-yard reception on the first drive. However, that one play resulted in the majority of his yards. His day was saved by a 3-yard receiving touchdown.
Juwan Johnson: 9 Targets, 5 Receptions, 49 Yards, TD
Johnson was the second-most targeted Saints pass-catcher. He was running routes all over the field, and made a great contested catch over Marques Sigle to come down with the touchdown. Throughout most of the game, Rattler looked to be relying on Johnson as his preferred target.
Devaughn Vele: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 3 Yards, TD
Devaughn Vele caught his only target for a crucial short touchdown in the fourth quarter.