Offseason Stealing Signals, Lions & 49ers

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The parallels between the Lions and 49ers over the past couple seasons have been clear. Intelligent design, including high rates of motion and/or play action. An elite dual-threat RB. Multiple good WRs (though the 49ers’ depth in that area has taken some weird turns). And an elite do-everything TE, whose presence has at times been a lesson in how that position can get squeezed for targets when a team has other places for the ball to go (especially when those TEs can block at a high level). And for 2026, both of those tight ends are coming off major injuries that complicate things further. Before we dive in, here are links to the first 20 teams we’ve covered: Bears and Jaguars , including long looks at interesting, young skill groups in fantasy-friendly offenses under Year 2 coaches we expect to elevate Raiders and Cardinals , including contextualizing low-scoring offensive environments with rookie QBs for elite TEs and potential superstar young RBs Rams and Seahawks , including how sustainable the production is for two elite No. 1 WRs with massive per-route profiles Buccaneers and Titans , including some harsh words about Mike McCoy he’s apparently read (see comments). Whoops. Falcons and Colts , including long thoughts about the Colts’ new high-paid WR, Alec Pierce , and big opportunity in that passing game Broncos and Bills , including how to think through tricky usage rotations for two good offenses Vikings and Bengals , including why I’m high on Kyler Murray in the best situation he’s played in Cowboys and Saints , including some cold water on high-priced fantasy stars in fast-paced offenses (plus a longer intro into the series) Chiefs and Texans , including why my workload confidence for David Montgomery is abnormal for a Dead Zone RB Packers and Panthers , including how team-building cues suggest confidence in Matthew Golden and Jonathon Brooks Let’s look at the Lions and 49ers. Detroit Lions Key Stat: Jameson Williams — 601 routes (career high), 16.1% TPRR (career low), 11.0 YPT, 1.86 YPRR Relevant Signals Quote: “What I’m saying is in the debate for the 1.01, Bijan is coming off a spike receiving efficiency season, and while he’s still very good as a pass-catcher and someone you’d expect to be a real asset in that regard any season, (Jahmyr) Gibbs is the one with the far better body of (receiving) work and you’d probably expect the edge to flip toward Gibbs in any random future season, because of how exceptional he is at that. Add in that Gibbs’ 2025 production was driven by a 25.0% TPRR and his YPT wasn’t even that gaudy at 6.7 (more sustainable than Bijan’s 22.7% and 8.3 YPT, which was more than 2 yards better than either of his first two seasons’ YPTs), and also that Gibbs ran 69 fewer routes than Bijan but David Montgomery is now gone after running 171 routes in 2025 — plus Bijan’s OC left — and it really reinforces that Gibbs should be expected to gain fantasy points on Bijan on the receiving side, not lose them like he did in 2025. That doesn’t explicitly mean Gibbs should be the 1.01, but it’s worth noting these guys were already very close in fantasy points per game last year even with Bijan having the edge on the receiving side. (So, uh, yeah, Gibbs should be the 1.01.)” ( Field Tippers ) Lions Field Tippers pass-catcher analysis The 2025 season for the Lions didn’t go great, but they showed an ability to be a successful offense even without Ben Johnson and with an offensive line that looked a lot worse on paper. John…