TNF Start/Sit Chart - Week 1 Fantasy Football Matchups for Thursday Night Football

September 8, 2026

Fantasy football starts/sits for TNF, expert advice for all 49ers. Rams Week 1 matchups on Thursday Night Football. Our start em, sit em picks for Blake Corum, George Kittle, and more.

The NFL season begins on Wednesday, but we have our first Thursday Night Football game in a few days. Below you will find our start/sit matchups chart for all players in the TNF game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams

In addition to our start/sit recommendation and matchup ratings for each player, you can also read the fantasy football outlooks for key players like Davante Adams, George Kittle, De'Zhaun Stribling, Terrance Ferguson, Blake Corum, Kyren Williams, Matthew Stafford, Brock Purdy, and more. Which Rams and 49ers players should you start or sit in Week 1?

Make sure to set your winning lineups for Week 1, whether you're setting season-long or DFS lineups. We will have our fantasy football start/sit matchup charts available all season long -- focusing on who to start, who is on the fence, and who should find the bench -- so be sure to check back. Good luck in Week 1, RotoBallers!

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San Francisco 49ers Start/Sit Matchups

See the full stats in our Fantasy Football Matchup Ratings Projections

Player	Start/Sit	Matchup Rating ▾	Game Matchup	Pos.
Christian McCaffrey	Start	122.6	@ LAR	RB
Mike Evans	Start	114.2	@ LAR	WR
George Kittle	Start	110.6	@ LAR	TE
Brock Purdy	Start	108.9	@ LAR	QB
Eddy Piñeiro	Start	108.8	@ LAR	K
Deebo Samuel Sr.	Risky Start	103.8	@ LAR	WR
De'Zhaun Stribling	Risky Start	102.3	@ LAR	WR
San Francisco 49ers	Sit	101.5	@ LAR	D/ST
Demarcus Robinson	Sit	101.5	@ LAR	WR
Jake Tonges	Sit	101.2	@ LAR	TE
Kaleon Black	Sit	97.2	@ LAR	RB
Luke Farrell	Sit	96.4	@ LAR	TE
Kyle Juszczyk	Sit	92.9	@ LAR	RB
Jordan James	Sit	90.5	@ LAR	RB

George Kittle, TE, 49ers

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (Achilles) participated in practice on Monday, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports. For clarification purposes, the 49ers are overseas preparing for Week 1, so this practice occurred on Monday in Australia but lined up with the waning hours of Sunday in the United States. Time zone logistics aside, fantasy managers should be encouraged that Kittle was able to practice on Monday.

There's still a chance that he has some sort of snap count for Week 1, but at this point, it looks like he'll at least be active for the season opener. This falls in line with a previous report from ESPN.com's Adam Schefter that said Kittle should be able to play. The 32-year-old is a top-three fantasy tight end when healthy, and he'll be tasked with occupying a major receiving role once again this year.

Managers looking for additional updates on Kittle's status should check back in approximately 24 hours when the 49ers release their first official injury report of the regular season.

Mike Evans, WR, 49ers

San Francisco 49ers veteran wide receiver Mike Evans (groin) said that none of the injuries that he dealt with this summer during training camp were significant, according to Christopher Mathis of The Drive. "I know I'm an older player. I've had probably over a thousand football practices in my life now, so I know what I'm doing out there. They know what they're doing. They did a good job taking care of me.

None of my injuries were significant, so if it was a game week, I wouldn't have missed any time," Evans said. The 33-year-old was spotted on the field on Monday in Melbourne, Australia, in the portion of practice open to the media, but he could have been limited with a groin injury that he has been dealing with since the end of camp. While the Niners have been careful with Evans after he played in a career-low eight games in 2025 in his final season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he is expected to suit up on Thursday against the division-rival Los Angeles Rams in his 49ers debut.

Evans is a future Hall of Famer and the unquestioned WR1 in San Fran in 2026, but durability concerns as he nears the end of his career should not be ignored. Fantasy managers should treat Evans as a WR3/flex for his debut with his new squad in Week 1.

Los Angeles Rams Start/Sit Matchups

See the full stats in our Fantasy Football Matchup Ratings Projections

Player	Start/Sit	Matchup Rating ▾	Game Matchup	Pos.
Puka Nacua	Start	122.8	vs. SF	WR
Matthew Stafford	Start	120.5	vs. SF	QB
Davante Adams	Start	117.3	vs. SF	WR
Kyren Williams	Start	113.5	vs. SF	RB
Blake Corum	Risky Start	103.8	vs. SF	RB
Harrison Mevis	Risky Start	102	vs. SF	K
Terrance Ferguson	Sit	100.5	vs. SF	TE
Colby Parkinson	Sit	100.2	vs. SF	TE
Max Klare	Sit	100	vs. SF	TE
Jordan Whittington	Sit	99.9	vs. SF	WR
Tutu Atwell	Sit	99.9	vs. SF	WR
Konata Mumpfield	Sit	99.6	vs. SF	WR
Xavier Smith	Sit	99	vs. SF	WR
Davis Allen	Sit	99	vs. SF	TE
Tyler Higbee	Sit	98.5	vs. SF	TE
Los Angeles Rams	Sit	97.3	vs. SF	D/ST
CJ Daniels	Sit	93	vs. SF	WR

Davante Adams, WR, Rams

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Davante Adams didn't play in the preseason, but he generated plenty of buzz because of his performance throughout training camp. Adams has had a dominant camp alongside fellow starting receiver Puka Nacua, as the two continue to form the best one-two punch in the NFL.

The veteran is coming off a WR9 finish in PPR leagues. He has been a top-12 wide receiver in each of his last six seasons, as well as a top-14 receiver in nine of his last 10. The great news for Adams is that he plays in an offense where multiple players can thrive.

After all, Nacua was the WR1 in PPR leagues last year, and Adams still turned in his best fantasy finish since 2022. We expect that trend to continue in 2026 and for as long as Matthew Stafford remains the Rams' quarterback. For now, the big question is whether Adams will replicate last year's 14 touchdowns on 60 catches, or if he'll come back to the mean and catch more passes with fewer touchdowns.

The other note on Adams is that he could spend a portion of the season in the No. 1 receiver role as a potential suspension lingers for Nacua. If that happens, Adams would jump from a low-end WR1 to a high-end WR1. At the moment, he has an ADP of 52.8, which corresponds to the fifth round of fantasy drafts. He's a steal at that current price tag, especially given his nose for the end zone.

Kyren Williams, RB, Rams

Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams is coming off another highly productive season in 2025, recording 1,533 yards from scrimmage and 13 touchdowns on 295 touches across 17 games. Since 2023, Williams has recorded three consecutive seasons with at least 1,350 scrimmage yards and 13 scores. However, the emergence of fellow Rams back Blake Corum has led to questions around Williams' workload entering 2026.

While sharing the backfield with Corum in 2025, Williams averaged just 17.4 touches per game after averaging 21.9 touches per game in 2024. Over the final eight games of the regular season, Williams recorded more than 13 carries just twice. Williams remains a borderline fantasy RB1 entering 2026, but his production upside may be limited as long as both he and Corum are healthy.