In an offense rich with weapons, McCaffrey has the most explosion. He can do it all as a runner and pass catcher, and the 49ers often use his motion to try to throw off defenses. Smith will not only oversee communicating defensive shifts to his teammates but will be the man required for slowing down one of the leading MVP candidates.

Hamilton's matchup against Kittle will be far from the only one he gets, but it may be the most important. Of all the 49ers' weapons, Kittle lines up in the slot most often (35.5% of the time). Kittle not only is second on the team with 865 receiving yards, but a key edge blocker in the pass and run game. He's a physical presence, and the 49ers could try to body up the Ravens' burly second-year safety.

The Ravens have been rotating their offensive tackles on both sides with Ronnie Stanley/Patrick Mekari and Morgan Moses/Daniel Faalele. Whoever steps up will have their hands full against one of the best pass rushers in the NFL in Nick Bosa, who has 7.5 sacks over the past six games.

The weakness in the 49ers defense has been against the run. The Cardinals hung 234 rushing yards on San Francisco last week, including 49 by Kyler Murray. Even without Keaton Mitchell, Baltimore could pound the rock at the 49ers and Warner, who is the captain in the middle and one of the best inside linebackers in the game. It wouldn't be surprising to see Warner often spying Jackson.

Samuel's strength is making plays after the catch. He's tough over the middle and lines up everywhere in the 49ers offense. Samuel has averaged more than 100 receiving yards the past three weeks and scored five touchdowns. He's been on fire. Humphrey is a strong tackler, and he would be a good player to have on Samuel.