A lot of eyes are on the San Francisco 49ers as one of the top options in the NFC. As Brock Purdy looks to become the full-time starter this year, head coach Kyle Shanahan and his roster will have to set quite a few bold predictions to achieve this season.

In the offseason, the Niners lost quite a few players that were big contributors last season, headlined by right tackle Mike McGlinchey. With the offensive line still not having recovered from that departure, what should the expectations be in the Bay?

Bold Predictions for the 49ers

4. Brock Purdy throws for 30+ TDs, 10+ INTs

It is incredibly unlikely that Brock Purdy posts another 13:4 TD:INT stat line this year, but it doesn’t mean that he won’t still be successful. If guys like Jimmy Garoppolo can be successful game managers in Shanahan’s scheme, then someone of Purdy’s athletic profile can be just as successful.

The Niners will be utilizing their running attack first and foremost, but with a below-average offensive line, the right arm of Purdy will become even more prevalent. Expect more passing attempts per game from Purdy, which should lead to more scoring chances while also tempting fate more with a higher interception total.

3. Deebo Samuel falls to the 4th target

The writing has kind of been on the wall for a bit now regarding the future of Deebo Samuel and his role in San Francisco’s offense. With Brandon Aiyuk ascending into a larger role, George Kittle being the safety valve, and Christian McCaffrey still being Christian McCaffrey, Samuel’s role in the offense looks like it may be a bit tougher to pinpoint in 2023.

Injuries have forced Samuel to miss games in every one of his four seasons so far, and those issues likely will pop up again, limiting his ceiling even more. Samuel is the biggest name in the receiver room, but Aiyuk should have the bigger role this year, which in turn knocks Samuel down the pecking order.

Aiyuk led the team with 114 targets last year, with McCaffrey (108 total from CAR and SF), Samuel (94), and Kittle (86) following shortly behind. Even if Purdy does end up chucking the ball more this year, Samuel may need to manufacture yards and TDs more by himself this year.

2. Defense is NFL’s #1 scoring defense

This is the least surprising bold prediction on this list, seeing as how the San Francisco defense has finished as a top-10 unit three of the past four seasons. Having ended the 2022 season as the third-best defense in terms of fantasy football scoring, this unit is back for more this year.

While the unit lost Samson Ebukam, Charles Omenihu, Jimmie Ward, Emmanuel Moseley, and Azeez Al-Shaair, adding defensive tackle Javon Hargrave from the Eagles will help fill some of that departed production.

Hargrave will pair with Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, and Javon Kinlaw to make one of the best defensive lines in the league even nastier. Opposing offensive lines will have a super tough time stopping this front four, and that doesn’t even begin to mention how much it will free up Fred Warner and Talanoa Hufanga on the back two levels.

Having only allowed 16.3 points per game and 277 total points last season (#1 in the league), the Niners are very well accustomed to being at the top of the defensive lists across the NFL. While their secondary may be the biggest hole on their roster, their front seven is strong enough to help cover up any issues on the back end.

1. Christian McCaffrey wins Offensive Player of the Year

This may be seen as more of a luke-warm prediction, but there are plenty of mouths to feed in the Niners offense to make it tough for CMC to see a award-winning workload. But this version of McCaffrey looked untouchable once he got up to speed with San Francisco last season.

McCaffrey saw time in 11 regular season games for the 49ers last season, after the midseason trade from the Carolina Panthers. While there were a few questions surrounding McCaffrey and what his role would look like, he looked like the traditional McCaffrey that we have seen for his entire career.

While there were two regular-season games that McCaffrey saw single-digit carries, those games were his first game as a Niner and a 38-10 blowout win over the Cardinals. Six games of six-plus targets, including three games of nine-plus targets, showcased how San Francisco utilized McCaffrey in the passing game.

A 19.8 percent target share from Week 7 on is incredible for McCaffrey, especially with this offense also having players like Aiyuk, Kittle, and Samuel to incorporate. With reports this offseason noting how Shanahan and the offensive staff will likely do their best to give McCaffrey most rest, that shouldn’t stop this runaway train.

Likely fighting with plenty of other NFC running backs and AFC wide receivers for the award, as well as countless quarterbacks, McCaffrey should position himself in a perfect spot to earn that award at the end of the season.