• A game of punts and field goals: The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams’ offenses struggled in the rain, leading to the first 19 drives ending in either a field goal, a punt, or a half ending.
• Puka Nacua was the only offensive weapon: While both Kyren Williams and Isaac Guerendo received plenty of volume, Nacua was the only offensive player who finished close to their fantasy projection.
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Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
PFF's fantasy football recap focuses on player usage and stats, breaking down all the vital information you need to achieve fantasy success in 2024.
Los Angeles Rams @ San Francisco 49ers
- Puka Nacua: 7 receptions, 97 yards, 2 carries, 11 rushing yards
- Kyren Williams: 29 carries, 108 yards, 2 receptions, 4 receiving yards
Isaac Guerendo plays through injury: Guerendo wasn’t able to finish the 49ers game four days ago due to a foot injury.
Guerendo was the 49ers' starter in Week 14 after Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason landed on injured reserve. He was playing two-thirds of the 49ers' offensive snaps before a foot injury kept him out for part of the third and all of the fourth quarter. He was a limited participant in practice Wednesday and was ruled questionable, but all reports Thursday leading up to the game were positive.
Guerendo started the game and played roughly three-fourths of the 49ers' offensive snaps. While Guerendo played on a few third downs last week, this week, the 49ers stuck primarily with Kyle Juszczyk as the third-down back. Juszczyk consistently had this role in the 49ers' offense before the McCaffrey trade, when Elijah Mitchell was the early-down running back. However, he played a much higher percent of the early down snaps
Guerendo was off to a slow start in a rainy first half, with eight carries for 17 yards. A few catches and a 16-yard run on third-and-20 helped his fantasy production a little bit. While this game didn’t go well, the 49ers have another favorable matchup next week against the Miami Dolphins, and Guerendo will have extended time to recover. Despite this game, he will probably be a fantasy starter for one more week, but then he faces the Detroit Lions in the fantasy championship.
The 49ers activated Ke’Shawn Vaughn off the practice squad while making Israel Abanikanda a healthy inactive for a second straight week. This was likely due to Vaughn being part of the team since August, while Abanikanda has only been on the team for nine days. There isn’t much point in holding onto either back or Patrick Taylor in redraft leagues, as Guerendo seems fine for next week, and even if he suffers an injury in Week 16, none of these three backs would likely be fantasy starters in Week 17 against the Detroit Lions.
Demarcus Robinson also plays through injury: Robinson could not finish the Rams' previous two games.
Robinson suffered hand and shoulder injuries in Week 13 and Week 14. He was limited in practice Wednesday and ruled questionable but ultimately played. He played his usual role as the third receiver in three-receiver sets. His playing time declined in the middle of the season when Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp returned from injury. In this game, his playing time was similar to the last month before his two games.
Tutu Atwell has mostly been Robinson’s backup since Nacua and Kupp returned. His playing time naturally increased during the last two weeks after Robinson left due to injury, but his playing time remained relatively high. The Rams started mixing in more 10 personnel with Atwell as a fourth wide receiver instead of having a tight end on the field last week. This week, it was the Rams’ primary package on third downs for most of the game.
Jordan Whittington, who also had a shoulder injury, was questionable but active as a backup wide receiver and kick returner.
While the third wide receiver spot didn’t matter much in this game and might not this season, the Rams' third wide receiver spot will be a storyline this offseason. Robinson, Atwell and Tyler Johnson are all unrestricted free agents. Whittington would be penciled in as a starter if none of them return. Chances are, at least one of those receivers returns, but it’s unlikely all of them will.
Miscellaneous Notes
- 49ers rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall has played the slot role in three-receiver sets since mid-October. He only caught one pass for five yards in his previous four games but had his best play in a long time with a 16-yard reception in the fourth quarter.
- Tight end Tyler Higbee has been a full participant in practice for over two weeks, but the Rams continue to hold him out. He must be activated to the 53-man roster by next Wednesday to play this season.
- Davis Allen had started the last five weeks at tight end for Los Angeles despite declining playing time in all five games. This week, he was a clear third on the depth chart for the Rams while Colby Parkinson started. Allen was questionable this week due to a shoulder injury, which likely impacted his playing time.
Table Notes
- Snaps include plays called back due to penalties, including offensive holding or defensive pass interference. The other three stats have these plays removed.
- Targets may differ from official NFL sources. The most likely discrepancy would be from a clear thrown-away pass, where the NFL may give the target to the nearest receiver, while this data will not.
- Carries are only on designed plays. Quarterback scrambles won’t count for the total number of carries in the game.
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