George Kittle finally gets into double-digit fantasy scoring territory

The 49ers beat Giants 30-12 on 'Thursday Night Football.' Join The Athletic's team of experts and insiders as we break down all the action.

Dan Duggan, Charlotte Carroll, Matt Barrows, David Lombardi and The Athletic's NFL staff

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George Kittle finally gets into double-digit fantasy scoring territory

49ers TE George Kittle was one of the biggest fantasy disappointments in Weeks 1-2, scoring only 10.9 PPR points in that span, but his fantasy managers were hoping that Kittle would turn things around in what looked to be a very favorable matchup against the Giants.

That has turned out to be the case, as Kittle has five catches for 75 yards (12.5 PPR) points at the end of the third quarter. That is a starter-caliber point total at this position and his fantasy managers are hoping that a good fourth quarter will add to this total.

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No net movement in point spread for Giants-49ers

The 49ers were a 10.5-point favorite at BetMGM at the opening kickoff and even though San Francisco is now up 20-12 with 2:13 left in the third quarter, the point spread for this game remains 49ers -10.5 points. It shows how much the Giants have impressed the sports betting public, at least relative to the point spread.

Plenty of 10-plus play drives for 49ers

San Francisco now has four drives with 10+ plays in this game. In the 32 games played in Weeks 1-2, there were only nine instances of an offense posting four drives with 10+ plays and only two with five of that caliber (per TruMedia). It shows just how dominant the 49ers offense has been even if San Francisco only has only 20 points to show for it.

49ers settle for another FG on red-zone drive

The 49ers sustain another long drive, this time 11 plays for 72 yards, but again settle for field goal to extend their lead to 20-12 on the Giants. It was the second time tonight they kicked a field goal on a red-zone possession.

San Francisco has now settled for field goals on five red-zone drives this season, tied for the most in the NFL.

The Giants are throwing the kitchen sink at Brock Purdy

The Giants blitzed the 49ers on 83 percent of snaps in the first half, the fourth-highest rate of the past five years, per PFF. It’s clear that New York’s strategy has been to throw the kitchen sink at Brock Purdy and hope that the young QB won’t be able to handle it with only a short week to prepare. But though the Giants have occasionally disrupted San Francisco, the 49ers have scored 20 points in 21 minutes of gameplay. So far, Purdy is passing an unusual test.

Matt Breida taking advantage of his opportunity

Giants RB Matt Breida, who is getting extra snaps on offense with Saquon Barkley sidelined with an ankle injury, scores on an 8-yard rush.

Breida already has more yards (17) and carries (4) tonight than he did in the first two games combined (3 for 14 yards).

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Giants cut into the 49ers lead

if you count the kick-catch interference on the punt ahead of New York's drive, the Giants got 37 yards out of 49ers penalties ahead of that touchdown plunge by Matt Breida. Darren Waller drew a 22-yard pass interference penalty that set up Breida's eight-yard run. The Giants offense only contributed that run and a seven-yard completion to Parris Campbell. But, hey, who cares about style points? The Giants get six actual points (not seven after failing on their 2-point try) and trail 17-12.

Vertical pass success is key for Daniel Jones

One of the keys to the Giants' second-half comeback win over Arizona last week was success on vertical passes, as Daniel Jones went 7 for 8 for 187 yards and a touchdown in that part of the contest.

That wasn’t the case today for most of this game, as Jones was 1 for 4 for 17 yards on vertical passes before this last drive, but a 22-yard pass interference call in favor of New York on a vertical throw to Darren Waller helped lead to the Matt Breida touchdown that made it 17-12 in favor of the 49ers.

No luck, no dice

The Giants came out of the half trying to establish some semblance of a running game without Saquon Barkley. No dice. At this point, the 49ers have more rushing attempts (19) than the Giants have rushing yards (17).

49ers backup RB Elijah Mitchell has one run of 18 yards that outpaces the Giants run game so far.

Giants digging themselves early holes

The Giants finally scored first-half points, but including tonight’s 17-6 deficit, New York has now been outscored 63-6 in the first half this season.

Per TruMedia, that’s the worst first-half scoring margin by any team through three games this century.

Rough housing

A shot of the extracurriculars that came near the end of the first half. As Dan said, the Giants would surely be fine with a double ejection. Good trade for them, all due respect to A'Shawn Robinson who is a quality defender.

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49ers lead Giants 17-6 at halftime of ‘Thursday Night Football’ clash

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The San Francisco 49ers lead the New York Giants 17 -6 at halftime of their “Thursday Night Football” matchup at Levi’s Stadium. Here’s what you need to know:

• 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey racked up 87 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown, while Deebo Samuel added 43 yards receiving.
• 49ers receiver Ronnie Bell, a 2023 seventh-round pick, notched his first career reception and touchdown on a 9-yard pass from Brock Purdy.
• San Francisco’s defense held the Giants to just 88 total yards in the first half.

Read more here.

First half fantasy takeaways from Giants-49ers

A lot of fantasy managers had 49ers players in their starting lineups this week and in many cases that has worked well, as Christian McCaffrey has 17.7 PPR points, Brock Purdy has 10.18 points, and Deebo Samuel has 7.5 PPR points at the end of the first half.

That isn’t the case for every San Francisco player, however, as George Kittle has posted only 4.6 PPR points. This continues Kittle’s subpar season, as he came into this contest having tallied only 10.9 PPR points.

Fantasy managers weren’t as reliant on Giants players as starters, but those who did put New York players into lineups aren’t very happy with the results. Daniel Jones has tallied only 3.78 points, Darren Waller has 3.1 PPR points and Matt Breida has generated only 2.7 PPR points.

49ers lead 17-6 at the half

Graham Gano just drilled a 57-yard field goal to cut the Giants' deficit to 17-6.

Gano also made a 57-yarder last year -- his longest of the season -- but that's not the longest make of his career. He hit a walkoff 63-yard winner against the Giants in 2018 during his final year with the Panthers.

Christian McCaffrey matches L.T.

49ers RB Christian McCaffrey has now scored a touchdown in 12 consecutive games including the playoffs, matching Pro Football Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson for the longest streak this century.

Bad news for the Giants

Adoree' Jackson is hurt and heading into the blue medical tent. He is pretty easily the Giants' most reliable cornerback. And versatile, as he can play in the slot and outside. Would be a huge loss if he can't finish tonight's game.

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49ers keeping things simple

The Giants seemed to surprise the 49ers with their early-game defensive aggressiveness. The 49ers have since adjusted, scrapping an elaborate downfield-throwing strategy with a heavy dose of Christian McCaffrey runs and short-game work from Brock Purdy. The turning point was a 30-yard screen pass to Deebo Samuel that converted a 3rd-and-15.

Ever since then, Kyle Shanahan has exclusively used his simpler strategy — and it's working. The 49ers have scored two touchdown s to take a 17-3 lead with halftime approaching. They're doubling the Giants in efficiency — 6 yards per play to 3 yards per play.

Ronnie Bell went from basketball hopeful, to longshot football recruit, to 49ers receiver

49ers rookie WR Ronnie Bell is off to a great start tonight. If not for a late change of heart, Bell may not have had his NFL shot.

Bell was headed to Missouri State on a basketball scholarship before Michigan added him to its 2018 recruiting class, tipped off by Jim Harbaugh’s brother-in-law, a high school basketball coach in the Kansas City area. When Bell signed with the Wolverines, he was ranked No. 1,473 among football prospects in his class and didn’t have another Division I offer.

The Athletic's Austin Meek has more here.

Giants' offense comes to an immediate halt

After a promising first drive by the Giants offense (12 plays, 49 yards) that ended in a field goal, they've mustered just two yards on their next two drives. Both were three-and-outs.

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