How Unlucky can the 49ers be?
Are the 49ers now a snakebitten NFL franchise? Their injury history over the past few seasons suggests that may be the case.
When you think of the NFL’s most snakebitten franchises, it’s likely that your mind immediately goes to teams like the New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, and Detroit Lions, amongst others. It’s very unlikely that you think of the San Francisco 49ers as one of those teams, and why would you? They have won 5 Super Bowl titles in their history, and have had some of the greatest players to ever play the game in Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, and Steve Young, just to name a few.
But as we sit here in 2025, now 31 years removed from the Niners last championship in the 1994 season, it’s worth asking if this franchise has upset the football gods. Since that most recent championship, San Francisco has lost 3 Super Bowls, all by a combined total of just 17 points. Since Brock Purdy took the reins in 2022, they have been banging on the door of another title, but have yet to break through. There were some who thought that with a favorable schedule, 2025 might be the year it happens, yet this season is already off to a disastrous start.
George Kittle, coming off of a TE2 finish in 2024, hurt his hamstring during the week 1 victory over the Seahawks. Not only will this injury sideline Kittle for at least the next four weeks as he was placed on IR, but hamstring injuries tend to linger. It’s likely that Kittle will never be back to 100% during the season, and that’s only the beginning.
QB Brock Purdy will now miss anywhere from 2-5 weeks with a turf toe injury. Losing your all-pro TE in Kittle is one thing, but losing your starting QB is a different level of difficulty. His replacement, former Patriots and Alabama QB Mac Jones, will perhaps be the biggest test thus far to see if head coach Kyle Shanahan’s system really can work with just about anyone.
In addition to Purdy and Kittle, there’s always an underlying injury risk for star RB Christian McCaffrey, who has been dealing with a slight calf injury of his own. Fortunately he was able to suit up in week 1, and did not reaggravate the injury.
So what does this mean from a fantasy perspective? Aside from CMC and possibly Ricky Pearsall in deeper leagues, avoid this 49ers offense like the plague. Take players like Jauan Jennings and Jake Tonges and bury them deep on your benches for the time being. It’s possible that Mac Jones develops a connection with one of these pass catchers, but for right now, they present way too big of a risk to consider starting going into week 2.
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