The San Francisco 49ers will face the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding RB Jordan Mason.
Is Jordan Mason Playing in Week 8?
The San Francisco 49ers are taking it easy on running back Jordan Mason, who suffered a shoulder injury in Week 6. Mason was limited throughout the week leading into Week 7, and he was limited again this week.
On Friday, the 49ers removed Mason from their injury report. He’s ready to play against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night.
The former undrafted free agent was not held back by his shoulder injury in Week 7. While he only handled 14 carries in San Francisco’s loss to Kansas City, Mason played a season-high 86% of the 49ers’ offensive snaps.
Through seven weeks, Dallas’ defense ranks dead last in EPA per rush and 30th in rushing success rate allowed. They’ve given up 180+ rushing yards in half of their games this season. Mason could have a field day on Sunday Night Football.
We’ll continue to monitor the 49ers injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Jordan Mason in Week 8?
Mason entered last week with a shoulder injury, but he wasn’t mentioned on the final injury report and gave us a 25+ yard run for the fourth consecutive week despite posting his worst showing based on expectations this season (-40.6%).
Mason has been fine recently but nowhere near the monster he was to open 2024. He has yet to score in October, and as we near the return of Christian McCaffrey, his days with an elite role appear numbered.
With Dallas ailing on the defensive side of the ball and every pass catcher in San Francisco banged up, this is about as optimal a spot as you could ask for. Only the Commanders have reached the red zone on a higher percentage of their drives than the 49ers (43.7%), and with the Cowboys allowing running back rushing scores at the third highest rate, Mason is deserving of an RB1 label, even despite his recent struggles.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 8 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Jordan Mason’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 8
Mason is projected to score 15.6 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 18.4 rushing attempts for 99.4 yards and 0.6 touchdowns. It also includes 1.2 receptions for 11 yards and 0 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
Jordan Mason’s Week 8 Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 11:45 PM ET on Saturday, January 25.
Conference Championship RB PPR Rankings
1) Saquon Barkley | PHI (vs. WAS)
2) James Cook | BUF (at KC)
3) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS (at PHI)
4) Isiah Pacheco | KC (vs. BUF)
5) Kareem Hunt | KC (vs. BUF)
6) Austin Ekeler | WAS (at PHI)
7) Ray Davis | BUF (at KC)
8) Ty Johnson | BUF (at KC)
9) Samaje Perine | KC (vs. BUF)
10) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI (vs. WAS)
11) Jeremy McNichols | WAS (at PHI)
12) Will Shipley | PHI (vs. WAS)
13) Carson Steele | KC (vs. BUF)
14) Reggie Gilliam | BUF (at KC)
15) Chris Rodriguez Jr. | WAS (at PHI)
Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers Insights
Dallas Cowboys
Team: Dallas beat Cleveland by 16 points in Week 1. Since then, they have a 2-3 record with a -58 point differential.
QB: Brock Purdy threw 17 passes on Sunday with Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and Jauan Jennings all off the field. He only had 14 career pass attempts with his top 3 WRs off the field before that, including playoffs.
Offense: Dallas has converted just 37.5% of its red zone trips into touchdowns, putting it on pace to be the worst Cowboys team of the 2000s (current low: 38.5% in 2002).
Defense: The Cowboys have the worst run defense in the league by EPA this season.
Fantasy: Rico Dowdle has taken over this backfield, and with the Cowboys owning the lowest opposed loaded box rate, we should have running lanes moving forward.
Betting: Since the beginning of last season, the Cowboys are 5-0 ATS on extended rest (Week 7: bye), covering three of their last four games by at least 15 points.
San Francisco 49ers
Team: Don’t forget that it took a little time for this team to get into form last season – they opened 5-3 before rattling off six straight wins after their Week 9 bye. After this game, San Francisco takes their bye.
QB: Brock Purdy’s yards per pressured pass attempt are down 18.3% from a season ago, and he faces off against a defense this week that ranks fifth in pressure rate.
Offense: The 49ers have converted just 45.2% of their red zone trips into touchdowns this season, their lowest rate since 2018 (41.2%).
Defense: The 49ers allow a league-high 9.5 yards per pass to the slow this season largely because those slot routes are extending down the field (11.1 aDOT, fourth highest).
Fantasy: Brandon Aiyuk (46.9%) is easily the team leader in target rate on the perimeter. If we view Deebo Samuel and George Kittle as the primary targets with Aiyuk now done for the season, it’ll be the receiver who assumes that usage. This season, Samuel has been targeted on 38.9% of his perimeter routes, while Kittle’s rate sits at a predictably low 2.5%.
Betting: The 49ers have covered six straight games against the NFC East (Week 5, 2023 vs. DAL: 42-10 win as a 3.5-point favorite).
