2024 Dynasty Riser, Faller and Longshot Predictions: San Francisco 49ers

Summer is the best time to evaluate dynasty assets and their place in the dynasty market. In this series, we will bring you a riser, faller, and longshot from each NFL team. We’ll cover dynasty values, potential trades, and overall team outlooks!

Let’s jump into the San Francisco 49ers!

Riser: Brock Purdy, QB

The 49ers enter the 2024 season loaded at every offensive position. This is the most fantasy-friendly offense in the league, and plenty of championship fantasy teams will be anchored by a player from this team. Brock Purdy is where all of that offensive production will start this season, and for seasons going forward. He’s being undervalued in dynasty fantasy football.

Current Market Value

Purdy’s July DLF Dynasty ADP.

Purdy is the QB15 in dynasty ADP, going off the board at 111 overall in one-quarterback leagues. Dak Prescott and Trevor Lawrence are going right before him. After a large dropoff, Tua Tagovailoa is the next quarterback selected at 124 overall, followed by Drake Maye at 142. In superflex ADP, he’s being selected in the early third round at 26th overall.

DLF Expert Rankings.

Purdy is also ranked as the 15th quarterback in the DLF Expert Rankings, but he’s ranked higher overall at 98th off the board. Quarterback is a loaded position, but Purdy is still being penalized in dynasty leagues because of his draft capital.

Future Outlook

Purdy’s 2023 game log from the DLF Gamelog App

Purdy’s first full season as a starter was nothing short of spectacular. The 24-year-old seventh-round pick scored more fantasy points than Patrick Mahomes, CJ Stroud, Tua Tagovailoa and Trevor Lawrence. He was fifth in the league in passing yards and third in passing touchdowns. He finished the year on a major high note with top-five finishes in four of five weeks from weeks 11 to 15. He may have let managers down in the fantasy playoffs, but Purdy put the “irrelevant” moniker to bed with his performance last season.

It’s more of the same for Purdy, who is just 24 years old and two full years away from free agency. He’s on the best offense in football, with the best weapons in football and the confidence of the best offensive coach in football. It really can’t get much better for Purdy.

The only concern for Purdy is Brandon Aiyuk’s contract situation. He’s currently “holding in” at training camp and has demanded a trade. If he does find his way off the team, Purdy loses one of the most efficient and effective wide receivers in the league. That will hurt, but Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey and a healthy Ricky Pearsall are still a great group of weapons to throw the ball to.

Trade Options/Conclusion

Let’s use the DLF Trade Finder to look at possible Brown trades in superflex and two quarterback leagues.

Recent Purdy trades in Superflex Dynasty Leagues from the DLF Trade Finder App.

Young quarterbacks in dynasty leagues are always going to be extremely valuable, and that includes Brock Purdy. Your best bet to acquire him would be to move on from another quarterback to upgrade, or “downgrade” to the San Francisco signal-caller. The manager in the first trade did just that, giving up Baker Mayfield and a second for Purdy.

The Purdy manager in your league likely loves having him on their team. He was likely a speculative waiver wire pickup who has blossomed into one of the most valuable players in superflex dynasty leagues. He won’t be easy to pull away from a manager like that, so expect to pay up.

While the San Francisco offense is loaded with offensive talent, only one of them gets to touch the ball on every single play, and that’s Brock Purdy. Every time he takes a snap, something special can happen. More often than not, that special thing will be through the air to earn Purdy fantasy points. He was the QB six last season and, in this offense, his ceiling could be even higher than that. He’s being drafted as a QB2 in dynasty leagues, but he should be valued as a QB1.

Faller: George Kittle, TE

It’s easy to look at a player like Kittle and see the end of his fantasy relevance is near. He may still be one of the best tight ends in the league, but unfortunately that doesn’t always translate to fantasy points. Coming off of a top-five finish at the position last year, now may be the last chance you have to sell.

Current Market Value (ADP/Rankings)

Kittle’s July DLF Dynasty ADP.

He’s being selected as the ninth tight end and the 94th overall player in dynasty startup drafts. There’s a massive tier drop from TJ Hockenson, the eighth tight end who is being selected at pick 74 overall, to Kittle. He’s being selected right before Evan Engram and David Njoku.

Kittle’s DLF Expert Rankings are slightly higher than his ADP. He’s still the ninth tight end in the rankings, but he’s pushed up to the 90th overall player.

Future Outlook

Kittle’s 2023 Fantasy Points scored via the DLF Game Log App.

Kittle accumulated a TE5 season last year, but he was extremely volatile. He failed to reach eight fantasy points in seven of the games he played. But he made up for it with four weeks of over 20 points. This extreme volatility is part of the reason you should sell high on Kittle right now.

Kittle is a tight end who may be an even better blocker than he is a receiver. He’s mentioned in the past that he loves blocking and gets as much thrill from a great block as he does from a great catch. What does that mean? That means he doesn’t run enough routes to be trusted. He only ran a route on 422 dropbacks last season, 12th most in the league amongst tight ends. He’s a dangerous weapon when he’s used in the passing game, he just isn’t being used enough.

Kittle will turn 31 years old in October of this upcoming season. We know that elite tight ends can play into their thirties, but with so much wear and tear put on Kittle in his career, he’s certainly on the downslope of his career. He has two more years left on his contract with the Niners, who knows what happens after that?

Trade Options/Conclusion

Once again, let’s look at the DLF Trade Finder for trade options involving Kittle.

Kittle trades in superflex league from the DLF Trade Finder.

Kittle’s name still carries plenty of clout in dynasty fantasy football leagues. Putting him on the trade block should garner some interesting offers. I like moving on from him for a younger tight end, like Dalton Kincaid or Luke Musgrave. You could also use him as a piece in a much larger trade, like the second one in the image above. He’s no Sam LaPorta or Trey McBride at his age, but coming off of a top-five season at the position makes him much easier to sell.

On a team loaded with weapons, Kittle seems to be the first to approach the dreaded age cliff. He’s still an outstanding tight end, but he’ll always be a better NFL player than he is a fantasy player. As he gets older, he may run even fewer routes, reserving his body for high-impact plays like third downs and in the red zone. The window to sell Kittle may slam shut this season, so it’s worth exploring those options before the season starts.

Longshot: Isaac Guerendo, RB

Path to Relevance

Christian McCaffrey’s handcuff will always be an important one. McCaffrey’s injury history is extensive, and he continues to get older and take more tread off his tires with massive volume. Elijah Mitchell is still the primary handcuff, but in dynasty leagues, Guerendo may be the next 49ers running back you want on your dynasty teams.

Coming out of Louisville, Guerendo is an athletic freak. He ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, the fastest at the position in 2024 and the best speed score at the position. Despite his speed, he also has great size at 6’ and 221 lbs. He wasn’t really given a chance in college until he transferred out of Wisconsin. Last year he played in all 14 games and ran for 810 yards on 132 carries. He’ll need some time to develop, but the Niners prioritized him in the Draft, using a fourth-round pick on him.

Case Against Him

The case against Guerendo is two-fold. Primarily, he’s going to need to overtake Elijah Mitchell on the depth chart. Mitchell has done everything that he’s been asked of in the 49ers offense. Whenever the 49ers have needed a running back to turn to over the last three seasons, he’s been as reliable as they come. Mitchell is in the final year of his contract, but John Lynch should be able to bring him back on a relatively cheap deal if they so desire.

If and when Guerendo does overtake Mitchell on the depth chart, he’ll still have McCaffrey’s massive volume to deal with. Kyle Shanahan has said this off-season that he wants to take some carries off of McCaffrey’s plate, but there is a reason he demands the football so much. He is the best running back, and maybe the best offensive player in the league, and every time someone else gets a touch in the backfield, you’re left wondering what McCaffrey could have done with that touch. He has a long history of injuries, but since arriving in the Bay Area he’s been the model of health. He’s under contract through the 2027 season, so he likely won’t be going anywhere unless there is an injury. Guerendo will likely never get a chance to lead the backfield in San Francisco.

Verdict

Isaac Guerendo is the 64th running back and the 211th overall player being drafted in dynasty startup drafts. In 1QB MFL Rookie Drafts, he’s barely a fourth-round pick at 46 overall. He was the ninth running back selected in the NFL Draft, but he’s being selected as the 13th RB in rookie drafts. McCaffrey managers especially should be targeting him in their dynasty leagues. His athletic profile alone is extremely intriguing, so if he gets a chance to run in Kyle Shanahan’s prolific run offense, that could be very valuable for fantasy. Guerendo doesn’t have to do much over the next couple of seasons to outperform his current value in dynasty leagues.