49ers 37, Panthers 15 (49ers covered -6, O 40)

Key Postgame Stories

A slew of injuries to the elite 49ers defense clouded an otherwise triumphant win catapulting them into first place in the NFC West. The secondary took two big hits with CB Emmanuel Moseley, who pick-sixed Baker Mayfield in this game, feared to have torn his left ACL while CB Jimmie Ward broke his hand after making his season debut from IR for an earlier hamstring ailment. Early DPOY candidate DE Nick Bosa also left the game early in the second half due to a tight groin and never returned. It’s all a wet blanket on what has been a strong start to the season for San Francisco’s D/ST unit.

The biggest story on the Carolina side came Monday when the Panthers finally fired head coach Matt Rhule after a disappointing three-year run with a .289 winning percentage. Taking Rhule’s place in the interim is defensive passing game coordinator & secondary coach Steve Wilks, who served as Cardinals head coach for one year in 2018. It’s too soon to tell what fantasy ramifications this could have, but the Panthers as a whole have nowhere to go but up. The head coaching news overshadowed the other big news with fantasy ramifications, as Mayfield was spotted with a walking boot on his left leg. P.J. Walker had replaced Mayfield late in the game ostensibly because the game was already out of reach, but it seems like it could have been due to a foot injury that could result in missed game action. Immediate postgame x-rays were negative, but an MRI on Monday will determine the full extent of the injury. Walker would be in line to start on the road against the Rams in Week 6, as Sam Darnold is still not yet ready to come off IR while recovering from the high ankle sprain. With how terrible the Panthers skill position players have been in fantasy, any change from Mayfield could be a boon to fantasy managers.

Top Performers

RB Jeff Wilson Jr.

17–120-1 rushing, 1-12-0 receiving, 19.7 total fantasy points in half-PPR

If he runs like a workhorse, quacks like a workhorse, then he’s probably a workhorse back right? Wilson has quietly strung together four straight double-digit fantasy efforts while notably handling 15-plus touches in each. He’s now averaging over 5.0 YPC on his 74 carries since replacing Eli Mitchell, and is certainly looking like a 2022 league-winner similar to Mitchell in 2021. Wilson will continue to cede pass-catching work to Tevin Coleman (who had 2 TDs in this one), Deebo Samuel and even FB Kyle Juszczyk, but it won’t keep him from anchoring a high-end RB2 floor every week. 

D/ST San Francisco

six sacks, one interception, one touchdown, 15 points allowed

That’s now three 15-plus fantasy games in the last four tries for the Niners, who trail only the undefeated Eagles D/ST by a single fantasy point on the season to-date fantasy points leaderboard going into MNF. Notable performances include ones by All-Pro LB Fred Warner (nine tackles, one sack) and rookie second-rounder DE Drake Jackson, who filled a big void left by Bosa with a fourth-down sack of Mayfield on the latter’s final snap of the game before Walker subbed in. The aforementioned injuries put a damper on an otherwise sterling day for this unit, but they should continue feasting in the coming weeks on some juicy matchups against the Falcons and Rams before getting a Week 9 bye.

Biggest Busts

WR DJ Moore

4-59-0 receiving, 1-8-0 rushing, 8.7 total fantasy points

After registering nine 60-plus receiving yard outings last season en route to a WR20 finish, Moore has now gone five games into this current campaign still searching for his first 60-receiving yard contest. He was being drafted as a top-15 wideout due in large part because of his reliability as the sole receiver with 1,200-plus receiving yards in each of the last three seasons. Perhaps the most impressive part of that was he was able to accomplish it with the likes of Kyle Allen, late career Cam Newton, Teddy Bridgewater and the aforementioned Walker and Darnold. So, it’s pretty jarring that the former first overall pick in Mayfield has been the one to crater Moore’s fantasy ceiling. Those with losing records a month into the season would be justified in dropping him for someone with a higher ceiling, because otherwise he has a playable PPR floor without much else. The only other positive thing to note is that after carrying the ball only eight times last season, Moore has at least one rush in four of five games this year that has added almost eight rushing yards per game.

WR Deebo Samuel

2-20-1 receiving, 2-12-0 rushing, 10.2 total fantasy points

An opportunistic four-yard receiving touchdown (that only happened because a Jimmy Garoppolo goal line plunge was called back on a penalty) masked an otherwise disappointing day for Samuel. Part of Deebo’s fantasy appeal is the sheer touch volume he gets in this offense built around his strengths, and the four touches here are the fewest he’s accumulated dating back to Week 5 of 2021. This was his lowest scoring game season to-date, but the fact that this basically represents his floor is also his fantasy value in a nutshell. The 49ers didn’t really need to chase points much in this one against a putrid Panthers offense, but that should change quickly with the Falcons, Chiefs and Rams on tap next.

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Cowboys 22, Rams 10 (Cowboys covered +5.5, U 41.5)

Key Postgame Stories

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