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The San Francisco 49ers have clinched their playoff berth, the NFC West division title, and the #1 seed in the NFC. You can read all of the NFL playoff picture clinching scenarios here.
And because of that, they are resting plenty of star players in Week 18 of the NFL season including Christian McCaffrey and Brock Purdy. You can read about each NFL team's NFL inactives for Week 18: which teams are resting starters here.
Should you start Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk or George Kittle in the final week of the regular season? None of them appear on the inactives report, so let's dive in.
Should I Start Deebo Samuel for Fantasy Football?
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel will be a risky play in Week 18's meaningless home matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. The matchup is good on Sunday, as the Rams have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers but there are other factors at play. First off, with San Francisco having sewn up the No. 1 seed in the NFC, they'll rest quarterback Brock Purdy and start Sam Darnold which is a downgrade for Samuel.
In addition, the 49ers haven't divulged if Samuel will get his usual snap share or if he'll be benched at a certain point. Samuel can do more with fewer touches than the average receiver but fantasy managers should be aware of the playing-time risk. Samuel is a risky WR2 option this week.
Should I Start Brandon Aiyuk for Fantasy Football?
Brandon Aiyuk is expected to start in Sunday's game as well. With Week 17's seven-catch, 117-yard, one-touchdown performance in Washington, Aiyuk got to within six receptions of his season-long career high and needs one more touchdown to tie his career-best total of eight.
The Rams represent the eighth-most favorable matchup for wide receivers in fantasy but a bigger determinant of Aiyuk's success will be his playing time, which hasn't been publicly stated. His role will likely be diminished to some degree and backup quarterback Sam Darnold is starting -- both of which add risk -- but odds are that he gets enough action to retain solid WR2 value.
Should I Start George Kittle for Fantasy Football?
Kittle is a risky start this week as well, as the 49ers are resting quarterback Brock Purdy. San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle has been great during the latter part of the season, ranking as the overall TE3 in half-PPR formats from Week 10 onward. Last week in Washington, however, he fell flat for fantasy managers playing for championships, having only mustered 4.4 half-PPR points.
Should the 49ers choose to diminish Kittle's snaps, there isn't much depth behind him with Ross Dwelley (ankle) out. The rest of the 49ers tight ends -- including those on the practice squad -- have combined for just 15 career targets. Consider Kittle a decent starter this week, but with some risk since San Francisco may pull all their starters quickly.
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