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Welcome to our 49ers vs. Browns fantasy football start 'em, sit' em matchups analysis article for Week 6 of the 2023 NFL season.
Read our matchups analysis, player breakdowns, and lineup recommendations for the matchup and set those winning lineups. Good luck RotoBallers!
San Francisco 49ers at Cleveland Browns
Spread: 49ers -10.0
Implied Total: 49ers (23.25) vs. Browns (13.25)
Pace: 49ers (32nd) vs. Browns (27th)
49ers Off. DVOA: 80.1% Pass (1st), 12.8% Rush (4th)
Browns Off. DVOA: -10.0% Pass (31st), -19.0% Rush (24th)
49ers Def. DVOA: -13.9% Pass (5th), -13.6% Rush (11th)
Browns Def. DVOA: -26.1% Pass (1st), -29.4% Rush (3rd)
WEATHER: This game is expected to have sustained rain and wind with high gusts, which isn't a good combination. It further limits the upside for the offensive pieces.
Matchups We Love
Christian McCaffrey (RB, SF)
A sub-40 over/under is never a good thing for fantasy. Add in two elite defenses and two teams that rank in the bottom six in the pace of play, and fantasy points are going to be harder to find. Fortunately, we know McCaffrey can overcome any obstacle.
He found the end zone again last week in spite of a poor performance by his standards, which was because he and Jordan Mason faced the most stacked boxes in Week 5. Speaking of Mason, he and Kyle Juszczyk came through if you decided to take a shot on either of them.
Matchups We Hate
Brock Purdy (QB, SF)
Even after getting beat up on by Baltimore before their bye week because they had Dorian Thompson-Robinson in at quarterback, the Browns are still No. 1 against the pass by DVOA and rank second in passing yards per attempt allowed. Purdy has the ability to ride his talented supporting cast to a 200 and two type of day, but the risk of a down game is higher this week.
George Kittle (TE, SF)
Kittle made sure to make his mark following an awesome day from rookie tight end Sam LaPorta. He not only caught a touchdown the same way on the same play, but he added two more trips to the end zone for a 100% touchdown rate on his three receptions. It's safe to assume that won't happen again, especially against the impressive Cleveland defense.
Browns Passing Attack
On the opposite side of the ball, it'll be a rough day for the Cleveland offense against a really aggressive and formidable 49ers defense. What's most concerning at the moment is the health of Deshaun Watson, who was reported to be medically cleared for Week 4 but chose to sit out and has yet to return to practice coming out of their bye week. The latest update is that he'll be inactive. They did report they'd trot out P.J. Walker instead of the rookie, which is a slight upgrade. It's only Amari Cooper that you want to look to here anyway, but without Watson, he's a flex option with a risky floor.
UPDATE: As expected, Watson has been ruled out and Walker will be their starter.
Jerome Ford (RB, CLE)
Ford's value is also contingent on a competent signal-caller under center. He was still handling a nice workload in his last outing with 14 touches compared to five for both Kareem Hunt and Pierre Strong Jr., but it's hard to see him as more than a volume-based flex option with Watson out.
Other Matchups
49ers WRs
Purdy only attempted 24 passes last week because the game was essentially over at halftime. They pounded the rock 41 times, leading to a combined seven receptions for Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. They were still productive on their catches, averaging 18.3 and 14.5 yards per reception, respectively.
There are two different types of risk for them in this one. The first is if the Browns' defense is healthy and slows them down. The second is that without Watson, the game is lopsided and they win on the ground again. In either case, it's hard not to start these two, but the ceiling might not be as high.
Notable Injuries
Elijah Mitchell (knee)
Deshaun Watson (shoulder)
David Njoku (arm, face)
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