Ricky Pearsall, Brock Purdy return: Fantasy advice for 49ers in Week 11 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The San Francisco 49ers got two pieces of incredible news on Thursday afternoon. According to Kyle Shanahan on KNBR, the 49ers are getting both Brock Purdy and Ricky Pearsall back.
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San Francisco is finally seeing the offense get back to preseason form. While Brandon Aiyuk is still out, the rest of the offense is fully healthy.
But for fantasy managers, this is a major change. For weeks, Mac Jones has been starting, and Jauan Jennings has been the uncontested number one wide receiver. Now that both are back, what can fantasy managers expect from the offense?
49ers offense with Brock Purdy, Ricky Pearsall back
For starters, Jones and now wide receiver Kendrick Bourne can be dropped, or at least they must be benched. Pearsall and Jennings are the top two receivers, and with the rest of the offensive cast, there’s little room for any more fantasy-relevant players.
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Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle are must-starts still, while Purdy becomes a reasonable starting option despite the Arizona Cardinals’ relatively tough defense this season.
With the entire band back together on offense for the 49ers, there’s a lot of uncertainty about how the offense could look. There is one example, all the way back in Week 1.
Against the Seattle Seahawks, the entire 49ers offense was playing. That was the last time Purdy, Kittle, Jennings, Pearsall, and McCaffrey were all on the field together.
In Full PPR leagues, McCaffrey was great as usual, putting up 23.2 fantasy points on 22 rushing attempts and nine catches on 10 targets, while Kittle had four targets for four catches and 25 yards with one touchdown.
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He left the contest early with an injury that kept him out until Week 7, but his production was still very strong for a tight end.
More: Kyle Shanahan reveals why Ricky Pearsall isn’t back yet for 49ers
Jennings in Week 1 had five targets for just two catches and 16 yards. Pearsall, on the other hand, hauled in four of his seven targets for 108 yards.
It’s impossible to tell if that disparity will continue, but one thing is clear: with the entire 49ers offense back, Jennings’ production is likely to dip.
He’s still a solid option in a good matchup, and in Pearsall’s first week back, but going forward, he might provide as strong of production as he has been giving lately.
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Purdy is also coming back, and while he had just 16.78 points in standard ESPN leagues, he’s still a decent starting option. If he can cut down on the turnovers (which he had two of in Week 1 and three of in Week 4), then he can be a solid option for fantasy managers.
For the first time in 10 weeks, the San Francisco offense is back to full strength. McCaffrey and Kittle are still must-starts, and Purdy is a solid quarterback option.
Pearsall and Jennings might not be as productive as they would be if the other were out, but with the strong 49ers offense, they are still solid starting options for fantasy managers.
