The 49ers are coming off a Week 8 bye, but the team is likely to be without both Mike Evans (Achilles/ribs) and Deebo Samuel (hamstring) on Sunday against the Raiders, per GM John Lynch.
Evans and Samuel both missed practice Wednesday. However, Demarcus Robinson ($4,300) got a limited session in and is trending toward a return after being sidelined since Week 2 with an ankle injury. Christian Kirk ($3,400) was also limited with a knee injury after a calf injury forced him to miss the first six games of the season before returning in Week 7.
Then there is Brandin Cooks ($3,900), who has been healthy since signing with the 49ers in late September. With both Evans and Samuel expected to miss time this weekend, Robinson, Cooks and Kirk should all see expanded roles. Between these wideouts, who is the best fantasy target?
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49ers’ WR Outlook for Week 9
With Evans, Samuel and Robinson inactive for Week 7 against the Falcons, Kirk was a complete non-factor in his season debut. He saw no targets while running a route on just 31% of his team’s dropbacks. Even though the 49ers are coming off their bye, Kirk is now dealing with a knee injury and could see another condensed workload against the Raiders.
Cooks, meanwhile, played a ton in Week 7. He ran a route on 73.8% of his team’s dropbacks — second-highest for the 49ers behind only George Kittle ($6,000). Unfortunately, Cooks did next to nothing with that high route rate, catching just one of three targets for 13 yards (2.3 FPTS).
Cooks should see another high route rate in a favorable matchup against the Raiders. Las Vegas is giving up the fifth-most yards per pass attempt this season (7.9). Still, it’s very hard to have faith in Cooks producing. The veteran has been a brutal target earner this season, seeing a target on just 11% of his routes. Cooks is also averaging a paltry 0.52 YPPR, and he is scoring just 0.11 FPTS per snap in his four games.
While Robinson has only played in two games, he has been far more efficient. The receiver is commanding a target on 23% of his routes, and he is averaging an excellent 3.2 YPPR. Robinson is generating 0.34 FPTS per snap, and he has scored 13 and 6.4 FPTS in his two games.
Even if Robinson is limited in his return, he is the better fantasy play than Cooks or Kirk, given how much more effective Robinson has been than his counterparts. For deeper season-long leagues, Robinson makes sense as a flier if you’re desperate and the waiver wire is lacking options.
Robinson is only $4,300 for DraftKings DFS, and he has merit for GPPs at this low salary, particularly if you’re looking to game stack this matchup between the 49ers and the Raiders. This contest has a 51.5-point total on DraftKings Sportsbook, tied for the second-highest in Week
