Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Kyle Madson

49ers MVP power rankings heading into Week 2

Buy 49ers Tickets

The 49ers had a slew of outstanding performances in their Week 1 victory over the Steelers, which means there’s a cluster of strong candidates for the team’s Most Valuable Player.

We’ll be creating and updating the MVP power rankings throughout the season. This is what the ladder looks like following the season opener:

WR Brandon Aiyuk

Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Aiyuk was simply the 49ers’ best player in the season opener. He caught all eight of his targets, racked up a career-high 129 yards and made an unbelievable grab at the front pylon for his second touchdown.

RB Christian McCaffrey

Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

There’s probably some added weight to McCaffrey’s case because of the schematic advantages he gives the 49ers and head coach Kyle Shanahan. His rushing performance Sunday – 22 carries for 152 yards – was extremely impressive and he didn’t even make a huge impact as a receiver where he caught only three balls for 17 yards.

DE Drake Jackson

Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

The tape shows Jackson benefitted from his teammates, but he posted 3.0 sacks. However, Jackson will continue having those opportunities and his athleticism gives him an advantage in chasing QBs that have escaped the pocket. If he keeps racking up sacks he’ll stay up near the top.

QB Brock Purdy

Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Purdy was more than just an avatar for his head coach Sunday. He dealt with a ton of pressure, didn’t have many wide open wide receivers, made plays out of structure, and dotted a couple of really nice throws into tight windows. It’s hard to not give Purdy a ton of the credit for the club averaging more than 30 points per game since he took over in Week 13 of the regular season last year.

LB Fred Warner

Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Pro Football Focus did not love Fred Warner’s game vs. Pittsburgh, but he was all over the field for San Francisco and looked more like a Defensive Player of the Year candidate than their worst performer. He had eight tackles, including a tackle for loss where he lit up Steelers RB Najee Harris to set a tone for the rest of the game. He also had a near interception and another pass breakup that led to Talanoa Hufanga’s interception.

DT Javon Hargrave

(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Hargrave was a force Sunday on the interior. His ability to collapse the pocket from the inside played a huge role in San Francisco’s dominance on the defensive line where they posted 5.0 sacks and held Pittsburgh to 41 rushing yards on 10 carries.

SS Talanoa Hufanga

(Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

The 2022 First-Team All-Pro safety had an excellent game for the 49ers. He racked up five tackles, a tackle-for-loss and an interception in a San Francisco secondary that held Steelers QB Kenny Pickett to a paltry 5.0 yards per attempt.

DE Nick Bosa

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Bosa is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year so he gets a little bit of a boost. He wasn’t in peak form in Pittsburgh, but he did notch a trio of pressures and drew a holding penalty. As he rounds into football shape he should climb the ladder.

In the hunt

Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Arik Armstead
Deebo Samuel
Trent Williams
Charvarius Ward

This group was good in Week 1 and should find their way into the mix with another great game or two.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.