• Head Coach: Kyle Shanahan (ninth season)
• PFF projected win total: 10.0
• 2024 Record: 6-11 (fourth in NFC West)

Biggest Strength: Offensive Star Power

When healthy — a big caveat of late — the 49ers have as much offensive firepower as any NFL team. Brock Purdy is an above-average starting quarterback. Christian McCaffrey was the best running back in the NFL in 2023. Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall comprise a solid group of young wide receivers. George Kittle is the best tight end in the NFL, and the offensive line is a solid unit headlined by Trent Williams and Dominick Puni. If McCaffrey, Aiyuk and Williams, in particular, are healthy, the 49ers still have a dangerous offensive unit.

Biggest Weakness: Defensive Line

Beyond Nick Bosa, San Francisco lacks proven defensive line depth. The front office drafted three such players to fill that void, but they will likely take some time before being considered a remedy. Otherwise, the team is working with veterans like Yetur Gross-Matos, Kevin Givens and Jordan Elliott, all of whom struggled to perform last season, especially in run defense.

Quarterback Spotlight: Brock Purdy

• 2024 PFF Grade: 82.4
• Key Stat: 65.5 PFF passing grade from Week 7 onward (tied for 29th out of 38 qualified QBs)

Through the first six weeks of last season, Brock Purdy led all quarterbacks in PFF overall grade (88.2). As injuries to the 49ers’ star players racked up and the team’s foundation crumbled, Purdy began to struggle. He posted just a 65.5 PFF passing grade from Week 7 onward while producing five big-time throws and 13 turnover-worthy plays. During that stretch, Purdy’s inability to throw over a standard pass rush was an issue. When he wasn’t blitzed from Week 7 through Week 17, Purdy recorded a 57.2 PFF passing grade — the seventh-worst mark in the NFL.

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Offensive Player: TE George Kittle

Kittle’s elite abilities as a receiver and a blocker make him the best tight end in the NFL heading into the 2025 season. His 92.4 PFF receiving grade last season paced all tight ends. He also placed second, behind Minnesota’s Josh Oliver, with a 70.8 PFF run-blocking grade. Kittle’s ability to perform in both facets allows Kyle Shanahan to deploy his multitude of schemes at all times.

Defensive Player: LB Fred Warner

Warner continued to prove he is the NFL’s best linebacker in 2024. He ranked second among qualified linebackers, behind Philadelphia’s Zack Baun, in PFF overall grade (89.2). 2024 was the third consecutive season in which Warner ranked second in PFF overall grade and his fifth straight top-five finish. He was also the only linebacker in the NFL last season to finish with 80.0-plus PFF grades in run defense and coverage.

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Rookie to Watch: EDGE Mykel Williams

The 49ers added multiple run-stoppers to their defensive line in this year’s draft, headlined by first-round pick Mykel Williams. The former Georgia Bulldog earned an excellent 86.6 PFF run-defense grade during his three seasons in Athens. He’s a sound, versatile player who earned a negative grade on just 5.1% of his run-defense snaps in college. Williams is still developing as a pass rusher, but the 49ers desperately need his run-stopping ability more than anything.

Fantasy Spotlight: WR Jauan Jennings, San Francisco 49ers

Jennings spent his first three seasons as a slot-only wide receiver on an offense that doesn’t use three-receiver sets as often as most teams. He seemed destined for the third spot on the 49ers’ depth chart after the team added Ricky Pearsall in the first round of the 2024 draft. Instead, he had the opportunity to take over for Deebo Samuel for one game in Week 3, and he caught 11 passes for 175 yards and three touchdowns. He took over for Brandon Aiyuk for the second half of last season and averaged 14.1 PPR points per game during that time.

The 49ers moved on from Samuel, which should give Jennings a permanent spot in the starting offense. His fantasy value has a wide range of outcomes, depending on Aiyuk’s health, Pearsall’s ability to improve and whether he can build on what he accomplished last season.

Best Bet: QB Brock Purdy to go over 3,850 passing yards (-110)

As we highlighted in our forecasting of potential passing leaders for 2025, Purdy is in line for a big year. The challenge here is finding where to enter the market for his passing-yardage line. Considering his 4,165-yard projection, bettors can play it safe with his standard line at 3,850 (-110) or target other milestones like 4,000 yards (+115) and even the NFL lead (+1300).

Bottom Line

A return to full health and a relatively easy schedule can bring the 49ers back to the postseason. However, their defense is extremely young, especially up front, and they will have to answer early-season questions about the health of their running backs and wide receivers.