The Los Angeles Rams will face the San Francisco 49ers in Week 15. Here’s fantasy football start-sit advice for every Rams and 49ers skill player who has the potential to make a fantasy impact during the game.
Looking for more lineup advice? Head over to our Week 15 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Rams vs. 49ers Quarterbacks
Brock Purdy, SF
I was encouraged by what we got from Brock Purdy last week against the Bears in his first game since losing his RB1 and RB2, but the one-sided nature of that game certainly helped. When all was said and done, he completed 80% of his passes with multiple touchdowns and 13.0 yards per pass.
That might not be sustainable against a good high school defense, but it was good to see and resulted in his fifth top-six finish at the position for the season. I don’t have him ranked quite that high this week (my QB9), but there’s plenty to like in this spot and you should feel fine about plugging him in despite the injuries around him.
The efficiency last week was one thing, but I liked seeing his highest average depth of throw since September. The Rams rank 22nd in blitz rate, and if Purdy is given time to throw, I think we could see him push the envelope again this week against a defense that has struggled across the forward pass in every way imaginable:
- 26th in passer rating
- 29th in touchdown rate
- 30th in yards per completion
- 31st in yards per attempt
Purdy has more rushing yards and touchdowns this year than he previously had in his career. While those numbers on the projection front won’t jump off the screen at you, there is the potential for him to add some value with his legs, and that helps me rank him over a Jared Goff-type this week with confidence.
Matthew Stafford, LAR
Matthew Stafford was part of the fun shootout with Josh Allen last week and now has posted four top-10 finishes in his past seven starts. It’s tough for a statue QB to make a living in our fantasy world, and I worry that the 49ers’ familiarity with him combined with a low blitz rate could leave you wanting more if you elect to chase the fireworks from last week.
The risk, in my opinion, simply outweighs the reward. The 29th-ranked blitz team is going to sit back and make this a low possession game — not the ideal game environment.
Stafford has one game this season with 20+ completions and 3+ passing scores. It came against a Vikings defense that is 180 degrees different than what he’s going to face on Thursday night.
I’m betting that you can do better this week.
Rams vs. 49ers Running Backs
Blake Corum, LAR
Blake Corum continues to get drives to work, but not enough to work into the Flex conversation. He’s on this roster to keep Kyren Williams fresh, not to replace him — and that makes him nothing more than a glorified handcuff at this point.
I have zero interest in forcing Corum’s 7-10 touches into my lineup, but I’d be fully invested in him if Williams were to get injured, something that is possible after a high usage week and now a short work week.
Isaac Guerendo, SF
On Sunday, Isaac Guerendo became the first player in the NFL this season with a rushing TD and 50 receiving yards in a first quarter — not bad for his first week at the controls of Kyle Shanahan’s backfield.
A foot injury suffered late last week has Guerendo sitting out of practice to open Week 15. Should their third string RB miss time, Patrick Taylor Jr. and Ke’Shawn Vaughn are the next men up. At some point, this running game is likely to struggle, but I need to see it before projecting it.
Guerendo is going to check in as a solid RB2 for me if he plays. Should he sit, Taylor won’t be far behind.
The Rams are the fifth-worst rushing defense by yards allowed per game and third-down conversion rate on the ground. The 49ers should have success when they hand the ball off, it’s just who to determine will get the bulk of those attempts.
Deebo Samuel Sr. is likely to eat into the RB workload, making it possible that he is a cheat code for DFS showdown contests.
Kyren Williams, LAR
Can Kyren Williams assume an elite workload on a short week after handling 31 touches against the Bills on Sunday?
Los Angeles played on a Thursday earlier this season, and they had no hesitation in giving him 28 touches after recording 21 the previous Sunday, so I have no real concerns when it comes to volume.
The 49ers own a bottom-10 rush defense in terms of EPA, success rate, and touchdown percentage, all signs that point to another big Williams game. Puka Nacua’s production explosion stands to potentially take some touchdown equity away from the running game, but it also elevates the drive distance expectation.
This is an offense I want a piece of, and Williams is certainly a big part of the Rams — he’s to be viewed as an RB1 the rest of the way without a second thought.
Rams vs. 49ers Wide Receivers
Jauan Jennings, SF
Jauan Jennings scored on San Francisco’s first drive last week and has looked like one of the 10 most uncoverable receivers for reasonable amounts of time this season.
- Ja’Marr Chase
- Amon-Ra St. Brown
- Jauan Jennings
Those are the three receivers this season (of the 34 with at least 75 targets) who have spent at least 30% of their time in the slot and average 2.1 PPR points per target. If I told you back in September that one name would join Chase and St. Brown on that list, how many guesses would it have taken for you to land on Jennings?
50?
150?
His ability to win quick routes should prove profitable this week against the third-best blitzing team in the NFL (49% pressure rate when bringing an extra body), and that should have him locked into lineups across the board. We have enough evidence that Brock Purdy is capable of getting his playmakers the ball; with this running game in shambles, Jennings’ production floor is that of a star at the position.
Cooper Kupp, LAR
It’s not quite the same, but expectations need to be adjusted for Cooper Kupp in a similar way that they need to be tweaked for DK Metcalf. Both are great receivers with plenty of production left in their profiles, but neither is projecting as a co-WR1 in his offense any longer.
Even with Puka Nacua taking a step toward true stardom, Kupp has earned at least eight targets in three of his past four games. Matthew Stafford is more than capable of sustaining two viable receivers, and I expect that to be the case in a matchup that is nowhere near as intimidating as it was to open the season.
Through 14 weeks, the 49ers allow the fifth-highest red-zone completion percentage (the lone spot where I trust Kupp to win over Nacua) and are the fourth-worst at creating pressure when blitzing. A comfortable Stafford can pick apart any defense, and we know he funnels everything through his star receivers.
Nacua and Kupp were both special last week, and it wouldn’t shock me at all if they both finished Week 15 as top-20 producers at the position again.
Puka Nacua, LAR
I look at these numbers for a living, and I have no idea what the most impressive part of Puka Nacua’s Week 14 domination of the Bills was.
- Fourth straight game with an on-field target share over 36%
- Career-high 6.0 yards per route
- 10 targets on 16 routes from the start of Q2 to the end of Q3
That’s just the tip of the iceberg, and I’d argue that Nacua’s five rush attempts (Weeks 1-13: four carries) are what has my interest most piqued. For me, the Rams made it clear on Sunday that they view Nacua as their alpha receiver. If their usage patterns continue to reflect that, Nacua could be a league winner, and Cooper Kupp managers are at risk of an early exit.
Nacua hasn’t struggled to earn targets in his two career games against the Niners (26 looks on 69 routes), and I have no issue in penciling in another double-digit opportunity day at the office.
Demarcus Robinson, LAR
That’s now three straight games with no more than three targets and five straight without more than two grabs for Demarcus Robinson. If you’re holding onto Los Angeles’ WR3 at this point, you’re stashing him as a way to chase TD equity.
That’s fine, it’s just awfully thin.
Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua vacuumed in 73.3% of Matthew Stafford’s targets last week, making the volume a near impossibility when it comes to projection math. Robinson has seen a deep target in every game this season, and while that’s great, it’s not so much when discussing a matchup with a top-three defense against those long passes in terms of passer rating, completion percentage, yards per attempt, and touchdown rate.
I’m never going to get there on a player like Robinson, which means I’ve missed out on some Flex-worthy production at points this season. If you’re less risk-averse than I, this is still a tough sell — save your good vibes for a home game against the Cardinals in Week 17.
Deebo Samuel Sr., WR | SF (vs. LAR)
As the injuries pile up, Deebo Samuel Sr.’s projected role only becomes more fantasy-friendly. He was handed the rock five times last week against the Bears, his highest total since Week 1, and while it didn’t net much (13 rushing yards), I’m perfectly OK with betting on that role.
The Rams are the second-worst pass defense in terms of yards per attempt, thus making every target worth more this week than most for Samuel. Efficiency has been an issue for much of this season, but I think you’re playing him as a Flex option in most formats, understanding that 10 opportunities (targets + rush attempts) are very possible, if not likely.
Jauan Jennings is my favorite receiver in San Francisco these days, but I trust Brock Purdy enough from a consistency point of view to get all three of his pass-catchers home.
Rams vs. 49ers Tight Ends
George Kittle, SF
With the young star power at the tight end position and the general struggles of the 49ers, is it possible that George Kittle’s season has been a bit overlooked up to this point?
His first target last week against the Bears resulted in a 33-yard reception (the fifth time in six games he’s had a 30-yard gain), and when all was said and done, he cleared 125 receiving yards for the second time this year,
Top-10 TE finishes, 2024:
- Kittle: 10
- Trey McBride: Nine
- Brock Bowers: Eight
Kittle was inactive for San Francisco’s first game against Los Angeles, but that didn’t stop Brock Purdy from dominating (292 yards and three scores on 30 pass attempts). If that form reappears this week with the 49ers’ season on the brink, Kittle has a good chance to pace the position in scoring this weekend.