San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints Matchup Preview 12/8/19: Analysis, Depth Charts, Daily Fantasy

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This game will be huge in determining who will end up with a potential number one seed in the NFC for the playoffs. The (10-2) 49ers took their second loss of the season last week to the Ravens last week. Jimmy Garoppolo had a slower day with just 165 yards but Raheem Mostert took off to give the 49ers’ offense a boost. He ran for 146 on 19 carries with a touchdown. The one problem that the 49ers had that killed them was containing Lamar Jackson who ran for over 100 yards. The good thing is that they won’t have to worry about Drew Brees running this week. The (10-2) Saints are coming off a scary win against the Falcons last week. After the Falcons converted on back-to-back onside kicks, they made it a close game but the Saints held on. Taysom Hill had a big game with a blocked punt, receiving touchdown, and passing touchdown. With the 49ers having the best pass defense in the league, there will be a lot hanging on the back of Alvin Kamara, Taysom Hill, and Latavious Murray for this game. For odds movement and full matchup history, visit the San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints matchup page.

TV Schedule

Date: Sunday, December 8, 2019
Time: 1:00pm ET
Location: Mercedes-Benz Superdome – New Orleans, LA
Coverage: FOX

Injury Report

San Francisco 49ers: DT D.J. Jones (Q), CB Richard Sherman (Q), DT Jullian Taylor (D), WR Dante Pettis (D), RB Matt Breida (Q), OT Joe Staley (Q), DE Dee Ford (Q), S Jaquiski Tartt (Q)
New Orleans Saints: LB Kiko Alonso (Q), OT Andrus Peat (O), OT Terron Armstead (Q), FB Zach Line (Q)

San Francisco 49ers Analysis

The 49ers lost their sole first place position in the NFC last week with a tough loss to the Ravens. They also fell out of first place in the NFC West conference as the Seahawks are also 10-2 and hold the tiebreaker in head to head. They do have the last game of the season against the Seahawks but it will be in Seattle. This game would be a huge win for the 49ers to set them up for a possible first-place seed in the NFC. Raheem Mostert has a huge game last week and is looking like he is taking over as the main back in the 49ers’ backfield.

This game will be a big shift from last week. The Ravens provided a better pass coverage, but the Saints are far better at stopping the run. It will be more on Jimmy Garoppolo to lead the offense this week. Deebo Samuel heating up has come at the perfect time. I expect him to play a big role against the Saints. Marcus Lattimore will likely cover Emmanuel Sanders leaving Eli Apple on Samuel. Apple struggled in coverage last week which Samuel should be able to exploit. Garoppolo will have to look out for the defensive line though as they picked up nine sacks last week on Matt Ryan.

San Francisco 49ers Depth Chart

QB: Jimmy Garoppolo
RB1: Tevin Coleman
RB2: Matt Breida
WR1: Emmanuel Sanders
WR2: Deebo Samuel
WR3: Marquise Goodwin
TE: George Kittle

New Orleans Saints Analysis

The Saints now have the NFC South clinched, but their eyes are now on getting first in the NFC. This is the biggest game to do that. If the Saints were to beat the 49ers this week, they would hold a game lead over them and the tiebreaker. They also hold the tiebreaker on the Seahawks who they beat in Week 3. All three of these teams currently sit at 10-2 with the Saints in the leading position. This win would give them such an advantage as the 49ers and Seahawks still have to play each other another time in Week 17. There is a guaranteed loss for one of them.

The 49ers hold the best pass defense in the NFL so they will finally need to get their run game back in action. Alvin Kamara has yet to hit 100 rushing yards in a game this season and this would be the game to do it. Latavious Murray should also be getting a bigger role this week to give the defense different looks. I wouldn’t throw out Drew Brees’s ability though. He still is capable of leading a charge in the passing game. Michael Thomas has been the best receiver in the NFL this season and could find holes in the defense that other teams haven’t found yet.

New Orleans Saints Depth Chart

QB: Drew Brees
RB1: Alvin Kamara
RB2: Latavius Murray
WR1: Michael Thomas
WR2: Ted Ginn
WR3: Austin Carr
TE: Jared Cook

Daily Fantasy: Start Deebo Samuel

Deebo Samuel’s past four games have been nothing short of impressive. He has had two 100+ yard games and in the game where he didn’t hit that mark, he had a touchdown to make up for it. The Saints are dominating at stopping the run this season, so it is likely that the 49ers will change their scheme to a more passing-oriented style. With the top focus being on Emmanuel Sanders, Samuel can come out of nowhere and surprise. I would say that he will continue the trend of either getting 100 yards or getting a touchdown this week.