Fantasy football start/sit advice, projections: 49ers vs. Panthers, Week 1

The 2017 NFL season is officially underway, and it is time to get fantasy football lineups set. The past two years, the San Francisco 49ers were playing on Monday Night Football, so you were left with some decisions to wait on. Of course, other than Carlos Hyde and Phil Dawson, there were not exactly a lot of great options on a week-to-week basis.

This year, maybe things change a little bit. As we get ready for Week 1, I thought I would offer some last minute fantasy advice for today’s game. These point projections are courtesy of Yahoo!, and are based on standard leagues. I’ve ranked them in order of point total, and then included a rundown of the notable stats.

I included kickers and defenses as well. The most interesting part of this is the projection of points against each defense. Yahoo! projects the 49ers to give up 26.3 points, and the Panthers to give up 22.3 points. Does a four-point game seem likely?

Quarterbacks

Cam Newton, Panthers: 21.44 points
254 yards, 1.6 TDs, 0.8 INTs, 31.3 rushing yards, 0.4 TDs

Brian Hoyer, 49ers: 12.21 points
186 yards, 1.3 TDs, 0.7 INTs

I think at some point Brian Hoyer could be an intriguing bye week option, but you just can’t trust him as a fantasy option for the time being. As for Cam? The rust is a concern but he is a guy you move into your lineup.

Running Backs

Carlos Hyde, 49ers: 11.17 points
60.8 rushing yards, 0.5 TDs, 2.1 receptions, 18.6 receiving yards, 0.1 TDs

Christian McCaffrey, Panthers: 9.33
33.3 rushing yards, 0.3 TDs, 3.2 receptions, 34.2 receiving yards, 0.2 TDs

Jonathan Stewart, Panthers: 7.71
55.7 rushing yards, 0.3 TDs

Matt Breida, 49ers: 5.19 points
27.0 rushing yards, 1.6 receptions, 12.7 receiving yards

Carlos Hyde is a must-start as long as he is healthy. Christian McCaffrey is a guy you likely invested a fairly high pick in, and you should be getting him out there. He’s going to be great for PPR leagues, and should be fairly solid for standard leagues. The 49ers run defense should be much improved this year, but it is still worth starting him.

Wide Receivers

Kelvin Benjamin, Panthers: 9.92 points
4.7 receptions, 65.8 yards, 0.6 TDs

Pierre Garçon, 49ers: 8.06 points
5.1 receptions, 60.9 yards, 0.3 TDs

Devin Funchess, Panthers: 7.60 points
3.8 receptions, 53.5 receiving yards, 0.4 TDs

Marquise Goodwin, 49ers: 7.32 points
3.5 receptions, 53.3 yards, 0.3 touchdowns

Curtis Samuel, Panthers: 6.41 points
8.2 rushing yards, 2.9 receptions, 38.4 receiving yards

I think Pierre Garçon is going to be a great PPR option this year. Marquise Goodwin has the upside to go along with what will be a regular starting load of snaps, but he is still a fantasy mystery for the time being.

Tight Ends

Greg Olsen, Panthers: 9.33 points
5.4 receptions, 69.3 yards, 0.4 TDs

George Kittle, 49ers: 3.78 points
2.7 receptions, 27.6 yards, 0.2 TDs

Olsen might finish the season as the top scoring tight end in the league. Kittle will get a chance to step up in the 49ers offense, but it might take some time for him to get going -- particularly with his current hamstring injury.

Defense/Special Teams

Panthers: 6.56 points
22.3 points against, 3.0 sacks, 0.8 INTs, 0.7 FR

49ers: 5.88 points
26.3 points against, 2.8 sacks, 0.6 INTs, 0.6 FR

Kickers

Graham Gano, Panthers: 9.28 points
2.7 XPs, 1.9 FGs

Robbie Gould, 49ers: 7.01 points
1.9 XPs, 1.5 FGs