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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 |
| Brock Purdy | Start | 108.9 | @ LAR | QB |
| Eddy Piñeiro | Start | 108.8 | @ LAR | K |
| George Kittle | Start | 106.6 | @ LAR | TE |
| 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) beat the usual recovery timeline for the Achilles tear he suffered in January and will be active for the team's season opener on Thursday night. Despite being limited in practices this week, he carries no injury designation heading into the Week 1 matchup against the Rams in Melbourne.
In Kittle's only game against Los Angeles in 2025, he caught nine passes for 84 yards and a touchdown. Fantasy managers should not expect the same production for Week 1, as the tight end can be expected to be on a pitch count, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
With the additions to the 49ers' receiving room in Mike Evans, De'Zhaun Stribling, and Deebo Samuel Sr., Brock Purdy has plenty of options to throw to. Kittle ranks as RotoBaller's TE8 this week, but his usual ceiling will be hard to reach in light of the circumstances around him.
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.
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 1 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Davante Adams, George Kittle, De'Zhaun Stribling, Terrance Ferguson, Blake Corum, Kyren Williams, Matthew Stafford, Brock Purdy. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 1.
Week 1 Player Decisions. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed, we've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 1 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 1 (2026)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 1 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 1 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool:
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