The Worksheet, a comprehensive fantasy football preview by Rich Hribar, breaks down everything you need to know about the Cardinals-49ers Week 3 matchup.
Find a breakdown of every Week 3 NFL game in our Worksheet Hub.
| Arizona | Rank | @ | San Francisco | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.5 | Spread | -8.5 | ||
| 19.75 | Implied Total | 28.25 | ||
| 16.5 | 24 | Points/Gm | 31.0 | 4 |
| 22.5 | 14 | Points All./Gm | 10.0 | 3 |
| 59.5 | 18 | Plays/Gm | 56.5 | 24 |
| 59.0 | 15 | Opp. Plays/Gm | 56.5 | 9 |
| 4.6 | 29 | Off. Yards/Play | 6.7 | 3 |
| 5.5 | 21 | Def. Yards/Play | 5.1 | 11 |
| 42.9% | 22 | Rush% | 50.4% | 6 |
| 57.1% | 11 | Pass% | 49.6% | 27 |
| 51.7% | 27 | Opp. Rush % | 51.3% | 26 |
| 48.3% | 6 | Opp. Pass % | 48.7% | 7 |
- The Cardinals have a league-low 6 offensive plays that have gained 15 or more yards.
- The 49ers have faced third and long (needing 7 or more yards) on only 5.6% of their sets of downs, the lowest rate in the league. The league average is 22%.
- The 49ers lead the NFL in offensive success rate (53.4%).
- 33.9% of San Francisco's passing plays have gained 10 or more yards (2nd).
- 19.1% of Arizona's passing plays have gained 10 or more yards (31st).
- The 49ers are averaging a league-high 9.8 yards per play on early-down pass plays.
- Arizona is allowing 8.5 yards per play on early-down passes (28th).
Trust = spike production for that player
Cardinals vs. 49ers Fantasy Quarterback Preview
Brock Purdy
Purdy was nearly perfect on Sunday, connecting on 20 of 22 passes for 287 yards (13.0 Y/A) with 2 touchdowns.
He added another 30 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
On throws of 10 or more yards downfield, Purdy completed all 10 of his passes for 211 yards.
That's where he has excelled.
In 2025, Purdy completed a league-high 61.1% of his throws 10 or more yards downfield.
He led the league in that department in 2024 as well, finishing second in 2023 among qualifiers for the league's passer rating.
Purdy has now finished as a top-10 scorer in five of his past six regular-season games, with four top-5 scoring weeks.
Interestingly, the 49ers have been willing to throw the ball a lot despite another start with their pass catchers banged up.
The 49ers are currently third in pass rate over expectation (7.1%) through two weeks.
This is the Purdy show to open the year.
With the 49ers as huge home favorites attached to another high team total, keep firing Purdy as a QB1.
The San Francisco pass catchers came out of last week more banged up, but we are getting Purdy in a spot similar to last week.
Miami matched San Francisco in base defense 61% of the time, the fourth-highest rate of base defense in Week 2.
We had a good idea they would do that after facing Klint Kubiak (who comes from the Shanahan tree) the week before and matching them in base defense 64% of the time.
Arizona matched Seattle and Brian Fleury (who just left the 49ers) last week with base defense a league-high 73% of the snaps in Week 2.
Against base defenses to open this season, Purdy is 15 of 17 (88.2%) for 208 yards (12.2 Y/A) with 3 touchdowns.
Since entering the NFL, Purdy has completed 70.4% of his passes (6th) with 9.5 Y/A (4th), and an 8.1% touchdown rate (7th) against base defenses.
Arizona plays two-high coverage 72.6% of the time, the second-highest rate in the league.
Against those coverages, Purdy has completed 69.7% of his passes (8th) for a league-high 8.3 Y/A since entering the league.
Jacoby Brissett
Brissett was mushed by Seattle last week, throwing for 95 yards on 28 attempts (3.4 Y/A).
Brissett averaged 3.2 air yards per attempt last week.
30.4% of his passes were 5 or more yards downfield, the lowest rate in the league.
The league average last week was 57.2%.
Failing to deliver against Seattle is nothing to be ashamed of.
Brissett is a QB2 option here, even if things should be better than last week.
The San Francisco pass defense has been solid to open the season.
The 49ers are fourth in passing points allowed (8.3 per game).
The 49ers have a 40.7% pressure rate (5th), up from 30.3% a year ago (30th).
They faced Miami last week, but those stats include Matthew Stafford in Week 1.
The 49ers haven't been pushed, though, facing two opponents content to run out the clock in losses.
In Week 1, the Rams threw the ball 12.3% below expectations.
In Week 2, the Dolphins threw the ball 18% below expectations.
Arizona has not been as pass-heavy as a year ago, but they have thrown the ball 2.8% (15th) and 5.6% (11th) over expectations to open the season.
Cardinals vs. 49ers Fantasy Running Back Preview
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More Week 3 Fantasy Breakdowns From The Worksheet:
| Week 3 NFL Games | Time |
|---|---|
| Falcons @ Packers | Thursday Night Football |
| Chargers @ Bills | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Panthers @ Browns | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Jets @ Lions | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Texans @ Colts | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Chiefs @ Dolphins | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Titans @ Giants | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Bengals @ Steelers | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Seahawks @ Commanders | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Patriots @ Jaguars | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Cardinals @ 49ers | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Vikings @ Bucs | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Ravens vs. Cowboys | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Raiders @ Saints | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Rams @ Broncos | Sunday Night Football |
| Eagles @ Bears | Monday Night Football |
