A multitude of question marks around roster construction and potential roles for players make the 49ers a difficult team to project for the fantasy football season.
They may wind up having several players who put up monster numbers and help carry fantasy teams to championships. There’s an alternate scenario where they have too many mouths to feed and the fantasy value is limited up and down the roster.
We took an early shot at figuring out which 49ers to draft and which ones to avoid in fantasy football this season:
Draft: TE George Kittle
Kittle set a record for receiving yards by a tight end last season despite playing 13 games with backup quarterbacks. His 88 catches may come down some just because he’s unlikely to see 136 targets again. However, he’s still going to produce as a top tight end, and may even see an uptick in touchdowns after putting up just five last season.
Avoid: RB Jerick McKinnon
This won’t be the only 49ers running back on this list. McKinnon is coming off an ACL tear in a crowded backfield where touches aren’t likely to be consistent on a week-to-week basis. It’ll be worth closely monitoring his training camp to see if there’s an indication of his role because there’s a chance McKinnon may still be prominently featured in the 49ers’ offense. But until his health and explosiveness have been confirmed, it’s tough to use anything more than a late-round flier on him.
Draft: WR Dante Pettis
Pettis might wind up being a fantasy football monster this season. He’ll earn plenty of targets just because of his ability to get open, but his knack for turning short throws into big gains could make him a must-start fantasy receiver. He averaged 17.3 yards per reception last season and 7.9 yards after the catch according to Pro Football Focus. Pettis also posted 17 catches for 338 yards and four touchdowns in Weeks 8-12 as a rookie. There’s a question about his target load because of the myriad weapons in the 49ers’ offense and head coach Kyle Shanahan’s penchant for getting everyone involved. He’ll get plenty of looks and should continue averaging somewhere north of 15 yards per reception.
Avoid: RB Tevin Coleman
Coleman was the Falcons’ top running back for most of last season and struggled to produce consistently in fantasy. He went over 100 yards rushing only twice, and had just one multi-touchdown game. His role is very likely to diminish in the 49ers’ crowded backfield, although he may earn enough touches in the red zone to be worth a look. Coleman is due for the type of year where his effectiveness on the field far surpasses his value in fantasy.
Draft: QB Jimmy Garoppolo
It’ll be worth having Garoppolo as a fantasy starter despite him coming off an ACL tear. He probably shouldn’t be one of the first five or 10 quarterbacks off the board, but his value in the middle-to-late rounds will be well worth a selection. He’s had two offseasons to get comfortable in Shanahan’s offense, and now the 49ers have added enough weapons to make their signal caller consistently dangerous. As long as Garoppolo can stay healthy and limit some of the poor decisions he made last season in his limited action, he should produce at a high level.
Avoid: WR Deebo Samuel
There’s an argument to be made that Samuel is the top fantasy option among 49ers receivers going into the year. However, he’s a rookie in a complicated offense who’s likely going to be tasked with doing a variety of things right away. It wouldn’t be a huge surprise if Samuel struggled out of the gate. Pettis, for example, caught three balls through his first three games. He didn’t start producing until late in the year. It’s entirely conceivable Samuel goes through similar growing pains. There’s also a question of workload that could reduce Samuel’s value as a fantasy pass catcher.
Draft: RB Matt Breida
It’s difficult to project Breida as a top fantasy running back given the other weapons he’ll be competing with for touches. However, of all the backs on San Francisco’s roster, Breida seems the most likely to have fantasy value. He was banged up for most of last year and still posted 5.3 yards per carry on 153 carries. Breida averaged 12.9 touches per game and posted 6.0 yards per touch. That number figures to go up if he stays healthy, and his number of touches should hover around 11 or 12 depending on the performances of Coleman and McKinnon. Don’t make it a priority to draft Breida, but he’s a fine add as a reserve running back.
Avoid: WR Marquise Goodwin
There’s a speed element Goodwin brings to the 49ers’ offense that can’t be replicated. That makes his health of the utmost importance to San Francisco. Keeping Goodwin on the field this season likely means a reduced role for the 28-year-old. This is another case of his on-field value being greater than his fantasy value. He does have a good rapport with Garoppolo and his big-play potential is always intriguing. Injury concerns and a more limited role make him a questionable fantasy asset in 2019.
