Dynasty Fantasy Football Free Agency Preview 2026: San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers are a team that feels like they are right on the cusp. If not for injuries, they very well could have won an NFL championship within the last few years. It really is all about getting healthy at the right time and going on a run.

So the 49ers will hope to do that in 2026. But they might need some help in free agency, especially with the pass-catchers. Jauan Jennings is a free agent, Brandon Aiyuk is likely being traded, and George Kittle will be coming off a late-season Achilles injury. Maybe backup quarterback Mac Jones can be used as a trade chip to alleviate things?

We’ll hit on all that and more as we look at the full weapons depth chart for the 49ers and make some free agency predictions. If there is a fantasy football take, we’ll throw it out there. If you want to know where we rank the 49ers, become a Fantasy Alarm Member today to access our full Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings along with our buy, hold, or sell recommendations!

*The salary cap numbers referenced in this article come courtesy of our friends over at Spotrac.com*
 

*Recovering from Achilles injury

San Francisco 49ers Depth Chart 2026 (Fantasy Football Relevant)

KEY

• White = free agent
• Green = role is safe
• Yellow =  role in flux
• Orange = likely a depth piece
• Red = roster spot not guaranteed

San Francisco 49ers Free Agency 2026

• CURRENT PROJECTED TOP 51 2026 SALARIES: ~$229M
• CURRENT ESTIMATED 2026 TEAM CAP SPACE: ~$34M

Free Agent Types

Unrestricted free agent: Any player with four or more accrued seasons whose contract has expired. They are free to negotiate with any team.

Restricted free agent: A player with three accrued seasons and an expired contract. The CBA allowed for NFL teams to tender these players to one-year qualifying offers to retain them. Another team can sign them, but would need to provide the tendering team with compensation. In layman’s terms, if a new team signs a player, the current team can match it, or they receive the corresponding pick from the new team. These are the projected RFA tender levels per OverTheCap.com:

• 1st Round - $7,893,000
• 2nd Round - $5,658,000
• Right of First Refusal - $3,453,000

Exclusive rights free agent: Any player with fewer than three accrued seasons and an expired contract. If his original team offers him a one-year contract at the league minimum, the player cannot negotiate with other teams. If the team wants the player back, these contracts are a no-brainer, as the player either needs to play on the contract or sit out. 

49ers Quarterback Depth Chart

Brock Purdy

The Kyle Shanahan scheme, and the offshoots of it run by guys like Klint Kubiak, Mike McDaniel, Bobby Slowik, etc., have been super QB-friendly. And Brock Purdy is a perfect fit for it. Per Pro Football Reference’s Stathead tool, among QBs to start 10 games over the last decade, his 2023 season has the highest yards per attempt of any QB (Sam Darnold this year under Klint Kubiak was 12, 2022 Tua Tagovailoa under Mike McDaniel was 4). Folks love to make arguments about “system QBs,” but they paid Brock Purdy handsomely to run THIS system, so who cares? 

Mac Jones

Mac Jones is the big name in this article. He’s now looked good in short stints with both the Jacksonville Jaguars and the San Francisco 49ers. Just this year, his 268.9 yards per game in his 8 starts would have been second only to NFL MVP Matthew Stafford. We watched Sam Darnold struggle with bad teams in New York and Carolina, then look good in San Francisco, Minnesota, and Seattle - that has teams wondering if the New England stint for Mac Jones was simply botched.

The 49ers have consistently said that they aren’t in the business of just trading away good players. So the price tag on Mac Jones is expected to be steep if he’s moved, per comments from Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch. And it makes sense as they can probably collect a 3rd round comp pick if he walks in free agency next year. Plus, the trading team is getting a QB with only a $2M cap hit.

I’ve suggested a few teams as trade partners in this series, but one that I think makes a lot is the Vikings. They not only have picks to trade but also assets the 49ers could use, like Jordan Addison or T.J. Hockenson. Then you pit Jones on his $2.1M one year deal up against JJ McCarthy in camp to see what you really have. That’s what the Colts did last year with Daniel Jones vs. Anthony Richardson. 

Kurtis Rourke

Rourke had offseason knee surgery and missed most of the season. The 49ers released Adrian Martinez from the practice squad when Rourke returned and activated his practice window (they signed Martinez to a futures deal in the offseason). If the 49ers move Mac Jones and don’t upgrade at QB2, that makes Rourke a guy I’m looking to add in deep superflex leagues. Kyle Shanahan has the magic QB touch. 

• Reserves/Futures: Adrian Martinez

49ERS QB FREE AGENCY TAKE: They have what they need for 2026, but it’s obviously more fun to speculate that Mac Jones gets moved. If he does, we want Shanahan to keep this trend of taking on reclamation projects and fixing them up, like Sam Darnold and Mac Jones. These are the names that would intrigue us.  

• POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: Zach Wilson, Kenny Pickett, Sam Howell, Justin Fields

49ers Running Back Depth Chart

Christian McCaffrey

Everyone in the fantasy football world predicted that Christian McCaffrey would get hurt in 2026. And guess what? Pretty much everyone on the team besides him got hurt. That’s why we are just focusing on acquiring the best players instead of playing Dr. FortuneTeller. The difference between really good players and Hall of Fame players is often longevity, and we’re still willing to bet on CMC until we see a decline on the field. He’s under contract til 2027, so the 49ers have some time to worry about the next starter.  

Brian Robinson

Last offseason, the 49ers tendered Jordan Mason as an RFA at the ~$5M level. They then traded him to the Vikings for a 5th and a 6th round pick swap. They then traded a 6th for Brian Robinson, who had a $2M cap hit. So, in that maneuvering, they saved $3M, got a 5th round pick, and had the backup role covered. Pretty good. Robinson will likely want to test the waters as an unrestricted free agent here, looking to battle for a bigger role. So hold onto him if you have him in dynasty. 

Jordan James

Jordan James is an interesting prospect. He went under the radar after being stuck behind Bucky Irving at Oregon. And he remains under the radar after being a healthy inactive at times. But, after being added by the 49ers, Jordan hurt his knee, then, right after coming back, broke his pinky. So he missed all of training camp as a rookie. By the end of the year though, he was elevated and Isaac Guerendo was the one who was made inactive. 

Isaac Guerendo

These comments in this article from Kyle Shanahan tell you what you need to know about Isaac Guerendo. He basically just says that James Jordan beat him out down the stretch, competing in practice, and that’s why Jordan was active over Guerendo. That does not bode well for Guerendo’s roster spot in 2026. 

Patrick Taylor

Taylor was with the Packers to start his career, then signed on with the 49ers in 2024. They brought him back in 2025, but he missed the entire season after a shoulder injury. He could be back for depth, but he’s an unrestricted free agent. 

Kyle Juszczyk

It seems possible “Juice” could have been gone last offseason, but they worked out a deal to bring the fan favorite fullback back on a two-year deal. So he’s under contract for 2026, which could be his last year. 

• Reserves/Futures: N/A

49ERS RB FREE AGENCY TAKE: CMC is locked in. My guess is Brian Robinson is out. They seem to like James Jordan, and that could see them part ways with Isaac Guerendo, too, though they could just keep him for depth. They don’t need a high-end guy, and even guys like Kenneth Gainwell and Rachaad White probably don’t want to be a backup to Christian McCaffrey. So here are the names that fall into the range where they are both affordable and would consider being down the depth chart. A couple of the names are familiar with SF or with the scheme already.  

• POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: Brian Robinson Jr, Dameon Pierce, Kareem Hunt, Jerome Ford, Raheem Mostert, Ameer Abdullah

49ers Wide Receiver Depth Chart

Jauan Jennings

The key piece here is Jauan Jennings. The 49ers heavily feature two WR sets, so as long as they have two WRs at the top that they like, they are pretty set. Jennings is a free agent, and if he’s back, then they should be pretty good with him and Pearsall. John Lynch mentioned they’ve been in contact with him, but he also said they have other guys they would like to see play, so maybe they will just let him walk. 

Ricky Pearsall

It really doesn’t matter too much to me whether Pearsall is the “WR1” or “WR2” over here. The top two guys get a lot of work regardless because of the fullback and TE usage. Plus, George Kittle is likely to miss a lot of time with this Achilles injury. So Pearsall is a guy I’m looking to buy in dynasty fantasy football leagues as I don’t think we have seen the best from him yet - though we have seen flashes of it. 

Brandon Aiyuk

Brandon Aiyuk ended up on the “left team” list, which is basically the NFL’s version of a “no call, no show”. So he’s almost certainly played his last snaps for the 49ers. In doing so, he’s tanked the 49ers' draft leverage here in a couple of ways, as everyone knows he’s not going back, and he didn’t really show up to prove how healthy he is. Not a super cool move for 49ers fans.

There have been a lot of rumblings, but the most smoke has been with the Commanders. Not only has Aiyuk suggested he wants to play with his friend Jayden Daniels, but Commanders GM Adam Peters recently had good things to say about Aiyuk. I wonder if they would consider doing that trade and also bringing Deebo Samuel back to run 49ers East? 

Kendrick Bourne

Bourne returned to the 49ers to be the WR3. Which typically isn’t a big role, but with injuries to both Jennings and Pearsall, he played big snaps at times. He definitely had his best games when Mac Jones was starting, as they had a previous connection in New England. He could be back as depth again, but I just don’t think the 49ers want to compete with a 31-year-old Bourne as their WR2. 

Demarcus Robinson

Robinson was signed as a reliable depth piece, and with the injuries, they ended up needing him. The structure of his contract with the void years actually makes it so it’s unrealistic to release him - would have to be a trade if they wanted to move on. So I expect him back. 

Skyy Moore

Moore did not do much on offense, but he returned every single punt and most of the kicks. And the other kick returners were Brian Robinson and Isaac Guerendo. So, if he’s not back as a free agent, they will absolutely need someone for those duties. 

Jordan Watkins

In his comments about younger players whom he would like to get going, John Lynch specifically mentioned two guys. Jordan Watkins was one of them. The 2025 fourth-round pick only played sporadically as he dealt with a high ankle sprain, then later a calf injury. So he remains a bit of a mystery box, who would benefit greatly from them not making major moves. He has a 95th percentile speed for the position, which is always interesting. 

Jacob Cowing

The other player Lynch mentioned, who ALSO has 95th percentile speed, is Jacob Cowing. He’s also a fourth-round pick and has put up some great college seasons at both UTEP and Arizona. Both Watkins and Cowing are interesting stashes in deeper dynasty formats. Even though they look deep on the depth chart above, if one of them somehow does land in that WR2 chair, it could be wheels up.

Trent Taylor

Taylor was a familiar face to bring into camp, but he was put on season-ending IR with an injury early in June. No idea if he would have made the team or not, but he’s not under contract for 2026. 

• Reserves/Futures: Colton Dowell, Junio Bergen, Malik Turner

49ERS WR FREE AGENCY TAKE: This is a big one here. The heavy two WR sets create a lot of upside for whoever gets that gig opposite Ricky Pearsall. If it’s Jauan Jennings, that settles things. But this is a fantastic landing spot if you are an incoming free agent.

By using multiple TEs, they don’t really need a big-bodied split end tethered to the line. There is a lot of pre-snap motion, and you can get away from flankers. The QB is super efficient with high yards per attempt seasons under his belt. Given what we know, the top two names from the free agent pool in terms of fit are pretty clear to me. Number one is the speedy Alec Pierce. And number two is Rashid Shaheed, who already knows the basics of the scheme from working with Klint Kubiak. If they don’t bring in a major name, it’s a great opportunity for Jordan Watkins or Jacob Cowing.

• POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: Jauan Jennings, Alec Pierce, Rashid Shaheed, Wan'Dale Robinson, Tyquan Thornton, Marquise Brown

49ers Tight End Depth Chart

George Kittle

We hate injuries, but there’s nothing worse than a serious late-season injury that could trickle into the following season. George Kittle is telling people he’ll be back “well before November,” but that’s a very aggressive timeline for this type of injury. The 49ers are almost certainly going to have to plan on starting someone else for the early part of the season. And banking on a major piece of the offense to return to form quickly after this kind of injury is a dangerous game. He’s on a long-term deal, so they are counting on him at some point.

Jake Tonges

Tonges was the TE2 solution whenever Kittle was out - and he did a serviceable job. He’s a restricted free agent, and it would be wise to tender him to keep him. If you tender him at the right of first refusal level, I think another team could come calling with a contract you might not want to match, so tendering him at at least the second round level, which comes with a one-year guaranteed $5.7M contract, makes a lot of sense. 

Luke Farrell

Luke Farrell was signed to be their inline blocking tight end, which he’s done a good job of. He’s under contract, and we can expect him to continue in that role. 

Brayden Willis

Willis was a practice squad guy who was promoted to the active roster early in the year, then sent back down. He could float around in that capacity as a depth/special teams guy, but I don’t see him making a major impact. 

• Reserves/Futures: Hayden Rucci

49ERS TE FREE AGENCY TAKE: The problem you run into here is that higher-end guys are going to want multi-year deals. But George Kittle is on a long-term deal. So I don’t think paying up for a Cade Otton or Dallas Goedert makes sense here. They could just go with Jake Tonges and Luke Farrell and hope that Kittle is right about his timeline. Or maybe they could bring in an older guy who might consider a one-year deal like Noah Fant or Tyler Higbee. The absolute best case if you go this route would be David Njoku, who feels like a good scheme fit. 

Another interesting move is potentially trading for someone with an expiring contract like T.J. Hockenson, Dawson Knox, or Evan Engram. Then you have them for the last year of their deal while Kittle gets healthy. I even mentioned a possible Hockenson deal that involves a Mac Jones trade earlier. 

• POSSIBLE FREE AGENT OPTIONS: David Njoku, Noah Fant, Tyler Higbee, T.J. Hockenson (via trade), Dawson Knox (via trade), Evan Engram (via trade)

Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings

Become a Fantasy Alarm Member today to access our full Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings along with our buy, hold, or sell recommendations!