Wild Card Round – San Francisco 49ers @ Philadelphia Eagles

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  • By JasonBaum85

    Last Updated on January 8, 2026 3:38 pm by Jon Mosales | Published: January 8, 2026

    Point Spread: SF +4.5 (-110)/ PHI -4.5 (-110)

    Moneyline: SF +188/ PHI -225

    Over/Under: Over 44.5 (-105)/Under 44.5 (-115)

    Overview:

    A rematch of the 2022 NFC championship game and a battle of the last two teams to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, the 49ers head back to Philadelphia to try and exact some revenge. Both teams are coming off of Week 18 losses but in two completely different scenarios. The 49ers losing at home to the Seahawks which cost them the NFC West title, the NFC’s number one seed, and home field advantage throughout the entire playoffs, the Super Bowl included. The defending champion Eagles are coming off a Week 18 loss to the Commanders where their starters got the week off to rest up for the repeat run. The 49ers come in with a top 10 offense in three of the four major statistical categories, and the offense sans week 18 has been clicking. The Eagles come in as a middle to bottom of the pack offense, ranking no higher than 16th in any of the major statistical categories. It’s been an up and down year for them production wise and drama wise, but with the Lombardi still in their hands, have the equity of being able to flip the switch and turn it on at any time.

     

    Quarterback:

    Will we now finally get to see the Brock Purdy vs Jalen Hurts showdown? Three years ago Hurts struck first with an easy opening drive touchdown while Purdy was strip sacked on his turn to counter that left him with a significant elbow injury. Purdy finished the fantasy playoffs as the overall QB1 throwing for 895 yards, 11 touchdowns, along with two rushing touchdowns against just two interceptions and one fumble lost. Purdy took a step back Saturday night but he’s seemingly put his early season toe injury behind him and has been playing his best football. However, his ability seems very tied to the availability of Trent Williams and Ricky Pearsall. The 49ers were unable to move the ball down the field against the Seahawks and with Williams missing Purdy was constantly pressured and harassed, which also significantly impacted their running game. Hurts the reigning Super Bowl MVP had a very respectable season, throwing for over 3000 yards with 25 passing touchdowns to just six interceptions. He also rushed for over 400 yards with eight touchdowns again making him a top fantasy quarterback. He should be able to use his legs again in this matchup as the 49ers have had to rewire their defense to work from the outside in due to significant injuries to their front seven.

     

    Running Back:

    Christian McCaffrey v Saquon Barkley. The last two NFL offensive players of the year go head to head and this game might fall directly on their shoulders. McCaffrey coming off an injury plagued 2024 silenced all doubters and returned to form in 2025. He played in every single game and Kyle Shanahan gave him all the work he could handle in both the running and passing game. He ran for over 1200 yards, while finishing sixth in the league in receptions and 23rd in receiving yards, falling just short of another 1,000/1,000 rushing and receiving yard campaign. Barkley did not nearly have the season he had in 2024. His total carries dropped from 345 to 280 which led to a near 1000 yard drop in his rushing yard total. Along with that his rushing touchdowns fell from 13 to 7 but his catches increased from 33 to 37 and had another pair of receiving touchdowns in 2025. However, if you’re playing playoff fantasy, this is the perfect matchup for Barkley as the 49ers’ defense has struggled to stop the run for a while now due to injures to Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, and a host of younger defensive front seven players just trying to find their NFL footing. Barkley is the clear RB1 heading into this weekend’s matchups.

    Wide Receiver:

    The 49ers come in in a tricky spot here because they’ve had to catch the ball by committee all season. Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings, Kendrick Bourne, and DeMarcus Robinson have all missed time this season but the effectiveness of the 49ers’ passing game comes down to the availability of Pearsall. Pearsall only played in nine games this season due to various injuries but he is their clear number one outside threat. He opens up the downfield passing game and was trending towards a 1000 yard season until injuries derailed it. When Pearsall plays it opens things up enough for Jennings who had another solid season with 643 yards and nine touchdowns. On the other side the Eagles counter with their usual AJ Brown and Devonta Smith as the top two. Despite the early season drama and a pair of games that he was virtually nonexistent in, Brown still led the team in targets with 121 while going over 1,000 receiving yards and leading the team in touchdowns with seven. Smith finished with the team lead in receiving yards but with one fewer reception and three fewer touchdowns than Brown. Brown and Smith will be the top two overall wide receivers for this particular matchup with Pearsall as the third, presuming he plays.

    Tight End:

    Despite missing six games George Kittle had a solid season going for 57 catches, 628 yards, and seven touchdowns. He finished as the TE11 on the season but obviously would have been higher had he played in more games. Goedert despite playing four more games, had only three more catches however he made the most of those going for 11 touchdowns on the year which vaulted his fantasy value up. This is a game where Kittle is going to have to be his usual self for the 49ers to have  a chance to win so he’s the clear TE1 coming into this matchup while being one of the top overall tight ends participating in this weekend’s games. Goedert’s red zone effectiveness makes him a high ceiling player and worthy of a playoff fantasy shot.

    January 8, 2026, 11:05 am