Christian McCaffrey touched the ball 31 times last week in a tight game with the Seahawks as the 49ers dealt with key injuries to their pass catchers. Robinson had nine carries in the game as well, and I expect that's on the low end of expectations this week. First, giving McCaffrey 30+ touches for two straight weeks is a terrible idea considering his injury history. The team is still short-handed in the passing game, so if this game is close then Robinson should see 8-10 carries at least. If the 49ers roll, he'll be in for even more second half work. This is an interesting ladder play up to 15 carries.

This line move has gone too far in the Saints' direction. Mac Jones will play well in Kyle Shanahan's system. New Orleans' subpar roster took a couple big hits in Week 1, including the loss of safety Julian Blackmon (shoulder). Pass rusher Chase Young remains out. Even if Jauan Jennings is sidelined, the 49ers have enough weapons to win by at least a field goal.

Brock Purdy is out for the 49'ers and so is George Kittle. On the surface, this plays nicely into the "Fallen Hero Theory." The 49'ers know that their star quarterback is out and the rest of the team will have to be that much better in order to overcome is absence. Shanahan will design a very manageable offense for Jones, heavy in the run game, short, high-percentage passes, and Robert Saleh's defense will ultimately win the game for San Francisco. It doesn't hurt that this is all happening on a week that SF is facing the lowly Saints, who could very well be the league's worst team. Without Purdy, San Francisco has a greater sense of urgency to dominate this contest.

Technically that's a Steely Dan joke, but it actually applies pretty well to this bet! (And yes, I'm aware they spell it Rikki.) Ricky Pearsal looks like he's going to be the primary pass-catching weapon for the 49ers on Sunday, with George Kittle ruled out and Juaun Jennings not looking great to play. The Niners signed Kendrick Bourne and while he has a great rapport with Mac Jones dating back to their Patriots days, it's really going to be Pearsall who is the primary non-CMC focus when the Niners drop back. I don't think they'll pass a ton, but lets not forget the statlines BTJ put up with Mac last year in JAX. Pearsall went for 103 on four catches last week and smoke this.

San Francisco’s old DC Robert Saleh is back at the helm, and his unit looks poised to be one of the best in the league. Despite gaining over 300 total yards last week, New Orleans scored just 13 points against the Cardinals. The Saints went 5-14 on 3rd down and 1-4 in the red zone, and I expect moving the ball downfield to be very difficult for QB Spencer Rattler. The 49ers will need to lean on their defense for a while, with a laundry list of key players on offense on the injury report. Look for San Fransisco’s defense to shut New Orleans down.

Expect a conservative gameplan from Kyle Shanahan regardless of whether a healthy Mac Jones or a banged-up Brock Purdy is under center come Sunday. The 49ers are already battling tons of injuries, with George Kittle on injured reserve and out for a month plus, not to mention Purdy's injury and a (positive-looking) shoulder situation for Jauan Jennings. I expect plenty of Christian McCaffrey in this one, the 49ers eating a ton of clock, the Saints largely unable to close drives and a similar score to what we saw from Arizona and New Orleans in Week 1.