49ers fantasy forecast: ESPN projects bounce-back for Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey

ESPN fantasy football analyst Eric Karabell has released his list of top fantasy football bounce-back candidates for the 2025 season, and two San Francisco 49ers stars made the cut.

Quarterback Brock Purdy put up respectable stats in 2024, but they fell short of his breakout 2023 campaign, when he set a franchise single-season record with 4,280 passing yards and threw 31 touchdowns against just 11 interceptions.

Last season, with several key offensive weapons sidelined due to injuries, Purdy's production dipped. He still threw for 3,864 yards, but his touchdown total dropped to 20, and his interceptions rose to 12—a rate that may raise some concerns heading into the new season.

According to ESPN, Purdy averaged 17.8 fantasy points per game, ranking 13th among NFL quarterbacks. Karabell notes that if the 49ers stay healthier in 2025, Purdy should be a reliable option for fantasy managers.

"2023's No. 6 QB regressed some in 2024, certainly in part because of the health of others surrounding him," Karabell wrote. "Purdy still performed at a high level, finishing third in yards per attempt and more than doubling his rushing production. The 49ers were quick to make a long-term investment in Purdy, hardly forgetting his monster 2023 season. Purdy has the skills to be a safe QB1 option, but he sure isn't being drafted that way."

McCaffrey poised for a rebound

To call running back Christian McCaffrey's 2024 campaign a disappointment would be an understatement. He began the season on injured reserve with Achilles tendinitis and finished it on IR with a PCL injury, appearing in only four games in between—and never looking like the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

Karabell believes 2025 could be a big bounce-back year for the versatile back.

"Fantasy's dominant non-QB for the 2022 and 2023 seasons burned both the 49ers and fantasy investors last season, as a preseason calf injury [and the Achilles injury] delayed his debut -- not for mere weeks, but until Week 10 in November," Karabell wrote. "McCaffrey ended up participating in only four games and at an ordinary level, scoring nary a touchdown."

McCaffrey, once a perennial early first-round pick in fantasy drafts, averaged just 12 fantasy points per game in 2024, ranking 27th among NFL running backs. His limited playing time and recent injury history have left many fantasy managers wary of drafting him early in 2025.

That could make him a good value if he remains available later in drafts—assuming he can stay healthy in 2025.

"McCaffrey will not be the No. 1 pick in 2025 drafts, but many will fade him in early rounds due to the extreme risk of potential missed games," Karabell added. "McCaffrey has played in double-digit games in just two of the past five seasons."

H/t to Grant Cohn of Sports Illustrated for the find.