2026
2026 season · WR · #19 · 1st season
Malik Benson
Age 24 · 6'1" · 195 lb · Oregon; Florida State; Alabama; Hutchinson CC · Pick 195 overall (2026). Listed WR7 on the 3WR 1TE depth chart. Snap share 11% across 7 games.
- How goodBenson has -7.3 EPA on 9 targets; percentiles arrive once he reaches 15 targets.
- Where it comes fromThe biggest share comes after the catch (+1.0).
- Fantasy0.1 standard points a game, WR157 of 171.0.2 half-PPR points a game, WR157 of 171.0.3 PPR points a game, WR155 of 171.
- How he's usedMalik gets a fingerprint once he reaches 15 targets; the bars show his shares so far without a league percentile.
- LatelyTargets are steady: 1.7 a game over his last three against 1.3 for the season.
- This weekA middle-of-the-pack matchup: the 49ers rank 17th vs WR, allowing +0.26 EPA per target to wide receivers.
How good is hehis line against the league at his position
| Stat | Value | Rank | League | Pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Target shareof team targets | 4% | |||
| Depth of targetair yards per target | 15.7 | |||
| After the catchyards per reception | 3.5 | |||
| Catch ratereceptions per target | 22% | |||
| EPA per target | -0.81 |
| Stat | Value | Rank | League | Pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First downsper target | 0% | |||
| Drop ratedrops per target, lower is better | 11% | |||
| Yards per game | 1.7 | |||
| Success rate | 22% | |||
| Total EPA | -7.3 |
Graded once he reaches 15 targets. 100 wide receivers qualify so far.
Benson scores 0.1 standard points a game, WR157 of 171 WRs with enough games. Most weeks land between 0.0 and 0.0; 0 boom weeks (12+) and 7 busts (under 5). This week the 49ers allow the 12th-fewest standard points to WRs, 18.5 a game.
Benson scores 0.2 half-PPR points a game, WR157 of 171 WRs with enough games. Most weeks land between 0.0 and 0.2; 0 boom weeks (16+) and 7 busts (under 6.5). This week the 49ers allow the 11th-fewest half-PPR points to WRs, 23.9 a game.
Benson scores 0.3 PPR points a game, WR155 of 171 WRs with enough games. Most weeks land between 0.0 and 0.6; 0 boom weeks (20+) and 7 busts (under 8). This week the 49ers allow the 11th-fewest PPR points to WRs, 29.2 a game.
How this is measured
Fantasy points are nflverse's standard and full-PPR scoring (6 points for a rushing or receiving touchdown, 4 for a passing touchdown, minus 2 for an interception or a lost fumble); half PPR is the average of the two. Ranks are points a game among players at his position with at least half the most games played. Most weeks is his 20th to 80th percentile game. Bars are green on a boom week and red on a bust; the dashed line is the starter line, the points a game of the WR24 in a 12-team league. The format you pick is remembered on this device.
How he's usedhis fingerprint, where the ball finds him and when
Malik gets a fingerprint once he reaches 15 targets; the bars show his shares so far without a league percentile.
How this is measured
Every trait is a share of his own targets, so volume does not move it. The marker is him among the league's qualifying wide receivers; the dashed line is the median. Styles are not grades: a high or low percentile is a description, not a verdict. Play action, screen, RPO, motion and blitz flags come from FTN charting and read low in a week it has not published.
Benson has -7.3 EPA on 9 targets; percentiles arrive once he reaches 15 targets. The biggest share comes after the catch (+1.0).
How this is measured
Every target this season, split by what happened. Catches divide at the catch: the yards in the air and what came after. The percentile is him among the qualifying wide receivers, higher is better, so a cost smaller than most ranks high. The parts add up to the totals above; the career strip counts seasons with at least 15 targets.
His targets spread much like the league's: no spot with five or more runs 15% above the league's share.
How this is measured
Every target with a charted depth and direction this season; sacks and throws with no charted direction are left out. Left and right are as the offense sees the field. Cells with fewer than three targets show no EPA.
On the field
By depth of target
Who he works withthe connection, and the rest of the huddle
By depth
Week by weekthe shape of his season, the game log and the defenses behind it
The game
at 49ersLevi's Stadium
SF −10 · O/U 51.5
The defense vs WR
a middle-of-the-pack matchup
His history
First meeting this season
His status
A middle-of-the-pack matchup: the 49ers rank 17th vs WR, allowing +0.26 EPA per target to wide receivers. He has averaged 0 yards a game against middle defenses this season.
| Wk | Opponent | Defense | Snap | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vs MIA W 27-1326th D | 26th vs WR | 10% | 2 | 1 | 6 | -0.4 | |
| 2 | at LAC W 26-1414th D | 14th vs WR | 13% | 1 | 0 | 0 | -1.7 | |
| 3 | at NO W 35-2711th D | 11th vs WR | 6% | 1 | 0 | 0 | -1.3 | |
| 4 | vs KC L 27-302nd D | 2nd vs WR | 8% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| 5 | at NE L 17-4530th D | 30th vs WR | 27% | 4 | 1 | 6 | -3.2 | |
| 6 | vs BUF L 30-3323rd D | 23rd vs WR | 12% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| 7 | vs LA L 21-356th D | 6th vs WR | 4% | 1 | 0 | 0 | -0.7 | |
| 8 | at NYJ W 38-33Did not play | |||||||
| 9 | at SFSun Nov 8 · this week | |||||||
| 10 | vs SEASun Nov 15 | |||||||
| 11 | at DENSun Nov 22 | |||||||
| 12 | at CLESun Nov 29 | |||||||
| 13 | Bye week | |||||||
| 14 | vs LACSun Dec 13 | |||||||
| 15 | vs DENSun Dec 20 | |||||||
| 16 | vs TENSun Dec 27 | |||||||
| 17 | at ARISun Jan 3 | |||||||
| 18 | at KCSun Jan 10 | |||||||
| 7 games | 11% | 9 | 2 | 12 | 0 | -7.3 |
| Wk | Opponent | Defense | Tgt share | Air share | aDOT | YAC | EPA/tgt | 1D | Drops |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vs MIA W 27-1326th D | 26th vs WR | 7% | 14% | 15.5 | 7 | -0.19 | 0 | |
| 2 | at LAC W 26-1414th D | 14th vs WR | 3% | 10% | 27.0 | 0 | -1.74 | 0 | |
| 3 | at NO W 35-2711th D | 11th vs WR | 3% | 15% | 40.0 | 0 | -1.27 | 0 | |
| 4 | vs KC L 27-302nd D | 2nd vs WR | 0% | 0% | - | 0 | - | 0 | |
| 5 | at NE L 17-4530th D | 30th vs WR | 11% | 11% | 6.3 | 0 | -0.80 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | vs BUF L 30-3323rd D | 23rd vs WR | 0% | 0% | - | 0 | - | 0 | |
| 7 | vs LA L 21-356th D | 6th vs WR | 2% | 5% | 18.0 | 0 | -0.72 | 0 | |
| 8 | at NYJ W 38-33Did not play | ||||||||
| 9 | at SFSun Nov 8 · this week | ||||||||
| 10 | vs SEASun Nov 15 | ||||||||
| 11 | at DENSun Nov 22 | ||||||||
| 12 | at CLESun Nov 29 | ||||||||
| 13 | Bye week | ||||||||
| 14 | vs LACSun Dec 13 | ||||||||
| 15 | vs DENSun Dec 20 | ||||||||
| 16 | vs TENSun Dec 27 | ||||||||
| 17 | at ARISun Jan 3 | ||||||||
| 18 | at KCSun Jan 10 | ||||||||
| 7 games | 4% | 8% | 15.7 | 7 | -0.81 | 0 | 1 |
| Wk | Opponent | Defense | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD | 20+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vs MIA W 27-1326th D | 26th vs WR | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | ||
| 2 | at LAC W 26-1414th D | 14th vs WR | 0 | 0 | - | ||
| 3 | at NO W 35-2711th D | 11th vs WR | 0 | 0 | - | ||
| 4 | vs KC L 27-302nd D | 2nd vs WR | 0 | 0 | - | ||
| 5 | at NE L 17-4530th D | 30th vs WR | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | ||
| 6 | vs BUF L 30-3323rd D | 23rd vs WR | 0 | 0 | - | ||
| 7 | vs LA L 21-356th D | 6th vs WR | 0 | 0 | - | ||
| 8 | at NYJ W 38-33Did not play | ||||||
| 9 | at SFSun Nov 8 · this week | ||||||
| 10 | vs SEASun Nov 15 | ||||||
| 11 | at DENSun Nov 22 | ||||||
| 12 | at CLESun Nov 29 | ||||||
| 13 | Bye week | ||||||
| 14 | vs LACSun Dec 13 | ||||||
| 15 | vs DENSun Dec 20 | ||||||
| 16 | vs TENSun Dec 27 | ||||||
| 17 | at ARISun Jan 3 | ||||||
| 18 | at KCSun Jan 10 | ||||||
| 7 games | 2 | 12 | 6.0 | 0 | 0 |
Targets are steady: 1.7 a game over his last three against 1.3 for the season. 7 straight games below a starter's median in targets. Week 7 was his season low in yards.
How this is measured
Bars are his week. The shaded band is the league's middle half at his position, every qualifying player-game this season, and the dashed line is its median. The solid line is his trailing three games. An × on the baseline is a game his team played without him; a dotted tick is the bye.
He has faced the 16th-toughest slate vs WR: his opponents rank 16.0 of 32 on average (league middle 16.4). Ahead: 4 of his next 9 are top-10 vs WR and 2 are bottom-10, starting with the 49ers (17th, away) in Week 9.
The slate · played solid, ahead dashed
His line by defense faced
| Defenses | G | Tgt/g | Yds/g | EPA/tgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ranked 1 to 10Top-10 defenses | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | -0.72 |
| 11 to 22Middle | 2 | 1.0 | 0 | -1.50 |
| 23 to 32Bottom-10 | 3 | 2.0 | 4 | -0.60 |
| All games | 7 | 1.3 | 2 | -0.81 |
Yards against the rank of the defense
How this is measured
His yards climb as the defense gets softer (r = 0.78): the schedule has been doing some of the work.
Careerseason by season, back to his rookie year
First season: 7 games in, 12 receiving yards, a 17-game pace of 29.
| Season | Team | G | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Y/R | Yds/g | EPA/tgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | LV | 7 | 9 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 6.0 | 1.7 | -0.81 |
| Career | 1 tm | 7 | 9 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 6.0 | 1.7 | -0.81 |
How this is measured
Regular season only, from nflverse weekly stats back to 1999. This season is partial and drawn hollow; the pace is his per-game rate over 17 games. Bold cells are career highs.
Intel & playsthe report, his best snaps, his teammates
- Depth chart
- WR7 · 3WR 1TE
- Injury report
- clean
- Red zone touches
- …
- Third down
- …
- Explosive plays
- …
- Drops
- 1 on 9 targets
- Broken tackles
- 0
- Passer rating when targeted
- 42.9
- Play action
- …
- Contested
- …
| Player | Touches | Yds | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|
 Ashton JeantyRB | 156 | 713 · 4 TD | -26.8 |
 Mike Washington Jr.RB | 71 | 289 · 1 TD | -10.2 |
 Brock BowersTE | 61 | 547 · 5 TD | +33.1 |
 Tre TuckerWR | 50 | 468 · 4 TD | +19.2 |
 Michael MayerTE | 43 | 351 · 1 TD | +11.1 |
 Jalen NailorWR | 24 | 113 · 1 TD | -1.3 |
 Kirk CousinsQB | 20 | 7 · 1 TD | -7.4 |
 Cody WhiteWR | 19 | 112 · 3 TD | +3.1 |