The San Francisco 49ers 2018 season took a nose dive when Jimmy Garoppolo tore his ACL in week 4. They tanked their way to the second overall pick, with which they selected edge rusher Nick Bosa. Bosa should do wonders for their defense, along with newly acquired pass rusher Dee Ford. On the offensive side, the 49ers have some intriguing pieces for fantasy football. Let’s take a look.
San Francisco 49ers Fantasy Outlook: 2019
Quarterback
Garoppolo got lucky in that his injury occurred early in the 2018 season. He’s had plenty of time to rehab his knee and get back to a playing capacity. Though he’s a talented, albeit unproven signal caller, he may not be much more than a bye week plug and play for fantasy purposes in 2019. The 49ers want to run the ball, and Garoppolo’s west coast style isn’t necessarily fantasy friendly. He’ll most likely round up the season somewhere around the 15-20 mark for fantasy quarterbacks.
Running Back
The Niners boast the most complex backfield in the NFL, fantasy-wise. Jerick McKinnon tore his ACL in the preseason last year shortly after signing a four-year deal with them. This led to a fairly productive season for Matt Breida, among a host of other players. They also signed former Atlanta Falcons running back Tevin Coleman to a three-year deal this off-season.
All three of these backs have similar skillsets, and it’s just a matter of how the touches will round out. This is never easy to predict in a Kyle Shanahan backfield, but it’s expected that Coleman will end up as the lead dog. His sixth-round ADP isn’t too steep, and he can provide some value for a team who still needs a flex play or even a low-end RB2. Of the other two, one will definitely have some value, but it’s still unclear which it will be. It seems to be leaning towards McKinnon taking a backseat, but it’s a situation to monitor as the season approaches.
Pass-Catchers
San Francisco has a very young receiving corps, spearheaded by second-year player Dante Pettis. Pettis showed flashes of dominance at the end of 2018 and has an exciting outlook for 2019. He’s a definite breakout candidate, especially with Garoppolo healthy to throw him the ball. After Pettis, the 49ers wideouts are much less safe from a fantasy perspective. Rookie Deebo Samuel will likely start opposite Pettis, and he has lots of potential, but could start slow, as do many rookie receivers.
Marquise Goodwin is another interesting case. He’s been unable to consistently stay on the field, but he’s been productive when he has. At this point, Samuel is probably worth a late-round flyer, especially in dynasty leagues. Goodwin will probably live on the waiver wire for most of 2019 and could be a matchup-based bye week plug and play. The Niners also boast arguably the best fantasy tight end, in George Kittle. He’s a rare blend of talent and athleticism at the position, and shouldn’t struggle to put up high-end TE1 numbers once again in 2019.
