What We Saw: Week 3

San Francisco 49ers @ New York Giants

Missing a slew of starters on both sides of the ball, the 49ers dominated the Giants at Met Life stadium. The 49ers controlled the ball for over 39 minutes and ran 73 plays compared to the Giants 49. It was a pathetic showing for the winless Giants against the depleted San Francisco squad. The Giants committed three turnovers (SF had zero) and once again had trouble keeping pressure away from quarterback Daniel Jones.

San Francisco 49ers

Quarterback

Nick Mullins: 25/36, 343 yards, 1 TD, 2 Sacks

Nick Mullins stepped in perfectly for injured starter Jimmy Garoppolo. Seven different players had more than 20 receiving yards and he was efficient on his throws down the field. He completed nine of his 14 throws more than 10 yards downfield. He was only pressured on 10 of his 39 dropbacks. We don’t know yet if Mullins will be asked to start next week or not. The 49ers get the Eagles poor secondary next week and either 49ers quarterback would be a solid QB2 in that matchup.

Running Backs

Jeff Wilson: 12 carries, 15 yards, 1 TD | 3 targets, 3 receptions, 54 yards, 1 TD

Jerrick McKinnon: 14 carries, 38 yards, 1 TD | 4 targets, 3 receptions, 39 yards

With their top-two running backs injured, the 49ers predictably went into a committee of Jeff Wilson and Jerrick McKinnon. Wilson had 15 opportunities and McKinnon had 18 himself. Each guy had moments where they looked great but they weren’t very efficient with their carries. Wilson scored on a goalline plunge and took a well-executed screen in for a touchdown. McKinnon raced for a 10-yard touchdown outrunning the defense on the outside. Wilson will only remain valuable if Raheem Mostert remains out next week. McKinnon should keep a role either way.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Kendrick Bourne:  6 targets, 4 receptions, 63 yards

Brandon Aiyuk: 8 targets, 5 receptions, 70 yards | 3 carries, 31 yards, 1 TD

Jordan Reed: 6 targets, 2 receptions, 23 yards

Ross Dwelley.: 4 targets, 4 receptions, 49 yards

Today was the breakout of the rookie first-rounder Brandon Aiyuk. He was the most targeted receiver today and he scored on a 19-yard end-around on one of his three carries. The 49ers will likely start getting healthier starting next week with stud receiver Deebo Samuel and star tight end George Kittle both getting ready to return. It is hard to know what Aiyuk’s usage will be on a week-to-week basis right now with all of these injuries but he is an exciting bench stash at the moment and is in the WR3 conversation if these guys miss next week. Tight end Jordan Reed injured his ankle in this one but he didn’t do much with his six targets when he was in this game. Ross Dwelley is an interesting option if Kittle and Reed miss next week. He had a couple of big games last year when Kittle missed. Kendrick Bourne will likely be the major casualty in opportunity when these guys get healthy but he is a fringe option when there are injuries in front of him. Keep an eye on injury reports this week because this receiving group has an exciting matchup with the Eagles next week.

New York Giants

Quarterback

Daniel Jones: 17/32, 179 yards, 1 INT, 2 sacks, 1 fumble lost | 5 carries, 49 yards

Daniel Jones was the most pressured quarterback coming into this week and he was pressured on 12 of his 22 dropbacks going into the fourth quarter when the game was still in doubt, according to PFF. Jones continued his turnover-prone ways, giving the ball away two more times and now has six turnovers through three games so far. For the second straight week, he didn’t throw a touchdown pass and he really can’t be trusted in fantasy leagues right now. They get the Rams and their strong defensive line next week.

Running Backs

Dion Lewis: 1 carry, 0 yards | 3 targets, 1 reception, 10 yards

Wayne Gallman: 4 carries, 7 yards | 3 targets, 2 receptions, 7 yards

Devonta Freeman: 5 carries, 10 yards

With star running back Saquon Barkley out for the year, the Giants used a committee to try and get production at the position. The running backs carried the ball 10 times for 17 yards and caught three of six targets for 17 yards. The Giants offensive line was dominated in this game, despite the 49ers’ defensive line injuries. That has been the story every week this year as these running backs don’t have much hope running behind this line. Devonta Freeman was signed this week and got his feet wet carrying the ball 5 times for 10 yards. His usage is likely to increase going forward as he gets into more game shape. None of these guys can be trusted in fantasy leagues with this current three-man committee behind a bottom-five offensive line.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Evan Engram: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 22 yards

Golden Tate: 7 targets, 5 receptions, 36 yards

Darius Slayton: 7 targets, 3 receptions, 53 yards, 1 fumble lost

With Sterling Shepard injured, the targets condensed to these three as no other Giants player had more than three targets. Evan Engram continued to get short yardage targets and wasn’t able to break a big one. He is a low-end TE1 while Jones and this offense are struggling so badly. With Jones under pressure so much it is no surprise Golden Tate was thrown shorter targets as well. That is going to be Tate’s role most weeks as he is primarily a slot receiver and he is just a WR3/4. Darius Slayton has the highest ceiling of this group as he gets the downfield looks. He was pretty inefficient in this one but is an interesting WR3 most weeks, although he will matchup with Jalen Ramsey most likely next week.

-Kevin Taylor (@ktbeast918 on Twitter)