The 49ers got healthy at the perfect time, giving them back-to-back wins for the first time since Weeks 2-3. They've also given patient fantasy managers a mid-to-late-season boost, thanks to a string of good-to-dominant performances from George Kittle and four TDs in five games for Jauan Jennings. Ricky Pearsall is still re-acclimating -- or at least that's the excuse we might give someone who was on a roll from late last year to the opening month of this season before getting hurt.
Christian McCaffrey is my focus on today's podcast. He's the overall RB1 and leading the league with 81 receptions, despite posting a career-low 3.7 yards per carry. He's on pace for 422 regular-season touches, which could turn into 500+ if they make a deep playoff run. Only 11 RBs have had at least three 400+ touch seasons. This would be McCaffrey's third. He'll turn 30 in June. I have more to say about this on the episode, and I'll have a *lot* more to say (sharing historical data) next summer.
Meanwhile, Brian Robinson Jr has 8+ touches in three straight contests. He's arguably playing his best football and could be a sneaky streamer in a Week 15 matchup against the Titans, which the Niners should win comfortably.
The Panthers are tough to figure out. They've scored 30+ points three times, and last night they had their third single-digit output. Bryce Young sandwiched last Sunday's career day (448 passing yards and three scores) with two anemic efforts. He's now thrown for less than 200 yards on 30 or fewer pass attempts in eight of his last nine games. This means he usually can feed only one receiver. Yesterday it was once again Tetairoa McMillan -- though only barely. The rookie now leads his team with 96 targets. Xavier Legette is #2 with barely half that total (51). Rico Dowdle is #3 with 34.
Managers can't fully trust a passing attack that's light on passing. Despite facing a negative game script for most of yesterday's contest, they ran only 42 offensive plays. That's not enough to help elevate multiple fantasy players.
Young rebounded sharply at the end of last season to buy him time this season. Carolina's impressive 6-6 record surely has improved his standing within the organization. But his numbers are now almost identical to last year's barely adequate numbers, and he next faces the Rams before heading on a bye. This is a less-than-ideal time to lean on Carolina players ahead of the fantasy playoffs, and it's also a less-than-ideal time for a frequently middling-at-best former #1 overall draft pick.
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