RADIO
Must-Start: Kyren Williams, RB - Los Angeles Rams
Kyren Williams was firmly back in bell-cow status after conceding about a third of the snaps to Blake Corum in Week 13. Williams played 83% of snaps against the Buffalo Bills and touched the ball 31 times. Even against a tough San Francisco rush defense, that kind of volume is a must in fantasy lineups for the playoffs. Williams is now the RB8 on the season.
Must-Start: Cooper Kupp, WR - Los Angeles Rams
Let’s put it this way. Among the 28 targets thrown to pass-catchers last week against Buffalo, Cooper Kupp and the guy next on this list saw 22 of them. Kupp had eight targets, which went for five catches, 92 yards, and a touchdown. Despite missing 4.5 weeks with an injury, Kupp is still WR5 in fantasy points per game with almost 15 half-PPR points each time he takes the field.
Must-Start: Puka Nacua, WR - Los Angeles Rams
Only Ja’Marr Chase has more fantasy points per game over the last four weeks than Puka Nacua. He went wild last week with 14 targets, 12 catches, 162 yards, and two total touchdowns. That is now five straight games with at least 98 yards or a touchdown for Nacua.
Must-Start: Jauan Jennings, WR - San Francisco 49ers
Jauan Jennings now leads all players on San Francisco in targets, and it isn’t especially close. Jennings has 42 targets over the last five weeks and he has been simply dominant as the 49ers WR1 in the five weeks since the San Francisco bye week. In that span, Jennings is tied with Terry McLaurin as the 12th-best wide receiver in fantasy football.
Must-Start: George Kittle, TE - San Francisco 49ers
In the most volatile position in the league this season, George Kittle has been a rock and someone you could rely on every week except the two weeks he missed with injury. He is the TE1 on the season with 14.2 fantasy points per game, almost two full points more than Brock Bowers at No. 2. The Rams are a bottom-10 defense against tight ends this season and Kittle has not yet been able to take advantage since he missed the first Rams game while hurt.
Solid Start: Matthew Stafford, QB - Los Angeles Rams
Over the last four weeks, Matthew Stafford has been the QB10 in fantasy scoring. It aligns, of course, with the good health of both Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, who both missed time early in the season. San Francisco is middle of the pack in terms of quarterback fantasy scoring allowed, but it is the second-best team in the league in preventing passing yards from quarterbacks (only the Titans have been better). For that reason only, Stafford is merely a good start instead of a must-start.
Solid Start: Brock Purdy, QB - San Francisco 49ers
In that same four-week span, Brock Purdy is QB27. He has two games with fantasy points over 19, one with a score of 2.2, and one game missed with an injury. On the season, he is QB9 thanks to a stretch where he scored at least 20 fantasy points in four straight games. In his last matchup with L.A., Purdy threw for three touchdowns and put up 25.8 fantasy points.
Solid Start: Patrick Taylor, RB - San Francisco 49ers
If Isaac Guerendo misses this game with his foot sprain, Patrick Taylor Jr. would be the next man up, meaning he would officially be the fifth man up at running back for the 49ers. With all of the other running backs hurt, Taylor has had very little time to practice with the starters, much less play. But in limited time last week, he rushed seven times for 25 yards and a touchdown.
While the Rams have done a good job limiting rushing touchdowns to running backs this season (only nine allowed), they do give up the eighth-most rushing yards on the season.
Consider Sitting: Demarcus Robinson, WR - Los Angeles Rams
Demarcus Robinson was DNP for two straight days to start the week due to his shoulder injury. It does not look good for his availability in this one, and even if he were to suit up, he could be limited in his snaps or yanked from the game if he aggravates the injury. Robinson has been playing a healthy amount of snaps, but this spot is not the place to roll the dice in the first game of the first round of the fantasy playoffs.
Consider Sitting: Tutu Atwell, WR - Los Angeles Rams
If Demarcus Robinson and Jordan Whittington miss this game on Thursday, there is a chance Tutu Atwell could get a full-time role as the Rams WR3. He is firmly on the radar in deeper leagues for a flex position if that happens, but he is WR74 on the season and hasn’t sniffed 10 fantasy points in a game since Week 4.
Consider Sitting: Tyler Higbee and Colby Parkinson, TEs - Los Angeles Rams
Colby Parkinson has been running as the TE1 for a few weeks but has exactly one catch in each of his last four games. Tyler Higbee is attempting to come back from a knee injury suffered in 2023, and he will assuredly be on some kind of a pitch count if he is active for Week 15.
Consider Sitting: Deebo Samuel Sr., WR - San Francisco 49ers
Deebo Samuel might be the most divisive player in fantasy football right now, with two camps forming around him. Consider me in the camp of believing that he is washed this year and does not deserve to be in our lineups. Samuel now has four straight games with 4.5 half-PPR fantasy points or less. He aired his frustrations after Sunday’s game, so maybe the squeaky wheel gets the grease here? But I’m not betting on the production, considering his track record in 2024.
Consider Sitting: Ricky Pearsall, WR - San Francisco 49ers
Nice story. Good player. I’m certainly rooting for him. But he has one total fantasy point in the last four weeks combined. This passing game revolves around Kittle, Jennings, and the running backs right now.
