George Kittle has entered stud-status.
There isn’t much to note as far as fantasy pick-ups for Week 5. With us figuring out who C.J. Beathard’s favorite target outside of George Kittle is, there’s no sure things on the San Francisco 49ers. We’ll jump into some pickups in the NFL at large, but not this week. There are still some considerations and starts to make in anticipation of the matchup against a bad Arizona Cardinals squad. Let’s take a look.
As always, percentage owned numbers are based on Yahoo! leagues.
Pick-ups
49ers D/ST
Week 3 stats: 29 PA, one interception, one touchdown
Many of you have asked if we would even consider starting the 49ers D/ST against a bad, BAD Arizona Cardinals team. Our answer is: It depends.
Now, before we go further, that’s not a good answer for a fantasy pick-up. If your league is scored using only points allowed by the D/ST, and you are hurting for a streaming defense, be it waiver positioning, a drought of teams, or a deep league, then maybe–and we say this with little confidence–maybe the 49er D/ST is an option this week.
If your league awards points for sacks and interceptions (or in mine where you get a lot of points for a defense performing well), then stay far, far away from this. The 49ers will not generate enough of anything to be a game-changer. There are much worse defenses to pick up this week, and if you are desperate, the 49ers can be plugged in to hold down the fort in a crucial bye. But a lot of things need to be going against you to even consider this (like every team having two D/ST’s on their roster which is questionable to say the least).
Pick up or don’t pick up: Don’t pick them up.
Must-Start Status Alert
George Kittle
% Owned: 88
Week 3 stats: 6 receptions, 125 yards, one touchdown
Mr. Kittle’s and bits has gone from a sleeper draft choice, to a big pickup, to a must-start now that C.J. Beathard is chucking the ball to him. None of Beathard’s pass-catchers are standing out and we all know Garrett Celek isn’t going to do anything with his opportunities besides bat away potential touchdown passes.
The 49ers get the Arizona Cardinals this week. As I’ve said, a bad Cardinals team. Slot Kittle in as your tight end this week if you haven’t already. And if you’re one of those lucky ones who have both Kittle and say Travis Kelce/Rob Gronkowski/Zach Ertz, put Kittle in as your flex (if allowed). Yes, he’s going to go off that much. We said last week Kittle was in must-start status and he didn’t disappoint. The Cardinals are much, much worse than the Chargers. Start with confidence. The only time Kittle should be benched is if your league rules do not allow you to flex him when having one of the above three tight ends.
Pick up or don’t pick up: 88 percent? Some people haven’t pounced? If he’s available in your league GRAB HIM! START HIM!
Fool’s gold
All of the 49ers wide receivers
% Owned: Don’t get us started (again)
Another week where none of the wide receivers outside of Kendrick Bourne do much of anything. We said wait a couple weeks and we weren’t kidding. If Sunday’s performance means anything, you may want to look at dropping them all. We say wait another week. The 49ers wide receivers are dealing with injuries and C.J. Beathard is trying to find a go-to pass catcher. For now, that’s Kittle, but defenses are going to figure that part out and he’ll have to go to the wide receivers.
Give them another week, then drop accordingly, starting with Pierre Garçon.
Drop or don’t drop: Wait one more week.
About the Author: Insidethe49
