Atlanta Falcons @ San Francisco 49ers
Final Score: 49ers 20, Falcons 10
Writer: Geoff Ulrich (@thefantasygrind on X/Twitter)
This was a grind-it-out affair between two tough teams with winning records that are capable of beating anyone in the NFC at any time. The 49ers won because they had their best rushing performance of the season, and their defense stifled Bijon Robinson on the ground. It was a great performance defensively. They also got somewhat lucky on a late no-call penalty on the last TD.
The Falcons didn’t play terribly, but failed to convert a couple of very high-leverage spots (fourth down, dropped long passes, red zone, etc.), and their rush defense got exposed.
We’ll go through the fantasy implications below.
Three Up
- Christian McCaffrey — Throwback game. Atlanta’s defense got gashed.
- Mac Jones — Played well despite little yardage, a QB controversy might be close.
- Kyle Pitts — Turning into a legit possession receiver.
Three Down
- Kendrick Bourne — Lost primary targets to Jauan Jennings. It may get worse when Ricky Pearsall gets back.
- George Kittle — Atlanta guards the TE position better than anyone, and took Kittle out of the game.
- Tyler Allgeier — Suffered against a good rush defense.
Atlanta Falcons
Quarterback
Michael Penix Jr.: 21/33, 241 Yards, TD | 2 Carries, 6 Yards
It was another solid game from Michael Penix Jr. The Falcons started him out very conservatively from a playcalling standpoint, which was likely a mistake and probably cost them the game. He was beating their defenders on throws downfield often, but the 49ers were also getting pressure, and he did get knocked down more than he had the past two weeks. Penix used Bijan Robinson here quite a bit vs. the 49ers’ defensive front, which was getting great penetration on runs, and the two combined for 52 yards on six catches.
What I loved to see in this game was how Penix was also using Kyle Pitts in a similar role. Pitts’ big body is very hard to defend on the sidelines, and the TE led all Falcons receivers with seven catches, including a couple of very key first downs. One of the nicest throws they used was a simple sideline fade that Penix throws better than just about any QB due to his release and arm strength.
He also connected with Darnell Mooney for a couple of big plays, and it was good to see Mooney-Penix get back on track a bit. Mooney did drop an absolute laser from Penix late in the game, which would have gone for at least 40 yards easily, so the second-year QB was not far from 300-plus yards, despite the 49ers having the ball much of the second half.
Running Back
Bijon Robinson: 14 Carries, 40 Yards | 6 Targets, 5 Receptions, 52 Yards, TD
Bijon Robinson showcased why he’s arguably the best RB in the game once again. S.F. was getting great penetration all game on his outside zone runs, but Atlanta got Robinson the ball as a receiver, to counteract that pressure, numerous times out in space. His TD was one of those quick screen passes that barely went a yard past the line of scrimmage, but the ball got to Robinson so fast, thanks to Penix, that he was able to turn and take it in 10 yards without barely being touched.
Bijan gets a TD of his own!
ATLvsSF on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/g7QiharOsu— NFL (@NFL) October 20, 2025
Overall, nothing to worry about from a fantasy standpoint. The 49ers’ rush defense is great against outside runs and getting penetration, but we have seen Robinson dominate weaker defenses as a runner this season. He should rebound in that area next game (vs. Miami).
Tyler Allgeier: 4 Carries, 16 Yards
Tyler Allgeier is a great back, and the Falcons likely should have used him a little more here to soften up the 49ers’ run defense because the Niners were stopping the outside zone plays with Robinson so well. Once the 49ers got up by a TD in the second half, it was too late, and he just never got his usual 8-12 carries. Expect to see lots of Allgeier next week vs Miami.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Drake London: 7 Targets, 4 Receptions, 42 Yards
A quieter night for Drake London, and you have to worry a little that the Falcons are making the same mistake they made before, of trying to make London and Mooney 1 and 1A (rather than just giving London 10-plus targets every game).
London was his usual excellent self, but he didn’t get the same downfield targets that he got last week in his monster game vs. the Bills. Credit some to the 49ers’ DBs, who made some big plays late on balls thrown his way, including a fourth-and-2 pass that London would have caught if not for the defender getting a hand on it.
Atlanta didn’t have the ball much the second half, and that won’t happen every week, so even with this down game, London still has a great shot to end teh year as a top5 WR in PPR leagues.
Darnell Mooney: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 68 Yards
Darnell Mooney showed improvement and likely had his best game of the season. He came down with the first three deep targets from Pitts, and all of his catches went for 10 or more yards. He just missed a 100-yard game as a 40-yard missile from Penix sailed through his fingers late.
This was a step in the right direction, but the Falcons do need Mooney to come down with those types of balls, as his speed can be a big deterrent to opposing teams over-crowding London. Likely a good waiver target this week.
Kyle Pitts: 9 Targets, 7 Receptions, 62 Yards
Very solid game for Kyle Pitts. He didn’t have many signature catches, but was a great outlet for Penix, who was under pressure most of the game. His best moments came on a couple of sideline throws that were impossible to defend because of the size mismatch he has when lined up outside vs a CB.
I buy more games like this for Pitts in the future, although his ceiling is not nearly as good as other elite TEs for the simple fact that he’s always going to be third or fourth in targets to Bijan and London.
Casey Washington: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 17 Yards
Had a nice catch on a midfield dart from Penix that he had to go down to get. Overall, a vast improvement over Ray-Ray McLeod and likely a better possession WR than Mooney, but without the same kind of speed as the former Bear.
San Francisco 49ers
Quarterback
Mac Jones: 17-26, 152 Yards, INT | 3 Carries, 13 Yards
Mac Jones really managed the ball well in this game. His RB was moving it great, so instead of looking to make a bunch of fancy plays or throws downfield, he just kept feeding Christian McCaffrey when he could and worked in a few passes to his WRs.
He also had a deep ball to Demarcus Robinson dropped in the second half, which would have put him close to or over 200 yards. This game does exemplify why Jones is only a streaming option for fantasy, as S.F. will still revert to running it 30 times if it can and is up. However, with the S.F. receivers healthy, Jones is still very viable for another big game if he gets another start vs a tougher run defense.
Running Back
Christian McCaffrey: 23 Carries, 114 Yards, 2 TDs | 8 Targets, 7 Receptions, 72 Yards
I admit, I had some worries about Christian McCaffrey early in the year when he was getting stuffed a bunch as a runner, but he looked almost like his normal self this week. CMac was ripping off chunks on the ground early on, and you could tell almost from the very start what kind of game it was going to be (S.F. eating up a ton of clock running it).
McCaffrey had a ton of runs of 10 yards or more, so he was constantly getting into the ATL secondary, but it’s worth noting that his longest run was only 15 yards. I dare say McCaffrey of 2022 breaks off numerous 30-yard runs in this spot against what is not a very good rush defense. Regardless, “Old Man” McCaffrey is still better than 90% of the RBs in the league, and he showed it late when he powered his way through a pile in the red zone (with an illegal assist by a lineman, apparently) for a TD.
Overall, just a great throwback game and one you’d think the 49ers would love to emulate numerous times before the season ends.
Brian Robinson Jr.: 8 Carries, 32 Yards
The ATL run defense was so poor that even Brian Robinson Jr. got going a bit this week. There is a pretty vast dropoff when Robinson comes in, but his 4.0 YPC likely did enough to save him from losing the backup job for another week at least.
I’d love to see Isaac Guerendo again at some point, but he can’t even get a snap on offense, let alone eight carries.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Jauan Jennings: 7 Targets, 4 Receptions, 31 Yards
There was a pretty clear attempt by the 49ers to get the ball to Jauan Jennings early in this game, who ended last week with just one catch and caused a commotion about it on the sideline. Jennings led all WRs on the 49ers with four catches, but S.F. barely threw the ball in the second half, either, and when it did, it was just dumping it off to McCaffrey.
For Jennings’ part, he did look healthier this week as he came down with a nice midfield grab early on, and also went up and got a poorly overthrown ball by Jones for a short gain in the second half. Jennings should really benefit from getting Brock Purdy back, as Purdy does have a better arm and has connected with the S.F. WRs for big games in the past.
Kendrick Bourne: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 14 Yards
After two monster games, Kendrick Bourne took a big backseat to Jennings in this game, who out-targeted Bourne 7-2. The 49ers also barely threw the ball in the second half.
Overall, the Bourne story might be done unless the injury to Ricky Pearsall is long-term, or George Kittle gets hurt again. If you didn’t trade him after last week, that window is now likely closed.
George Kittle: 2 Targets
The Falcons defend the TE position better than anyone in the league, and it showed here. George Kittle did have two targets, but he was limited to cardio and watching the CMac show.
I would expect more usage in his next game back, but you can’t fault the 49ers for not using him in this spot, as they likely want to ease him back in. If there are nervous fantasy owners out there who took a zero this week when they started him, I would not hesitate to try and work out a trade in your favor.
Skyy Moore: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 15 Yards