The San Francisco 49ers head to mandatory minicamp this coming week, and then the team is off until training camp. The start of training camp will start to get fantasy football back on a lot of people’s radar, but I thought we’d have a little discussion before then!
I put together SB Nation’s fantasy preview guide each year (with the help of several writers), and one thing we’re adding this year is comments from each of our 32 NFL blogs about some notable players. We’ll be looking at first player picked, best fantasy sleeper, most likely fantasy bust, and best fantasy rookie (helpful for dynasty drafts).
The first 49er picked in re-draft leagues and even some basic keeper leagues is Jerick McKinnon. Although quarterbacks end up with the highest total points in many leagues, running back remains the heart of standard fantasy football. PPR leagues change that up, and many leagues mix it up to the point that other positions hold more value, but running back is the leader for the most part.
The 49ers best rookie pick right now is Dante Pettis. Mike McGlinchey is the best offensive option for purposes of who will start first, but for fantasy purposes, it’s Pettis. It’s not really a tough call given that the 49ers’ only other skill position pick was wide receiver Richie James in the seventh round.
It gets interesting though for the sleeper and bust options. The 49ers best sleeper option might be tight end George Kittle. Marquise Goodwin is on everybody’s radar after last season, so I don’t think you can really call him a sleeper. The same holds true for Jimmy Garoppolo. Kendrick Bourne would qualify as a deep, deep sleeper, but if I’m looking for someone who could make an impact in 2018 in a variety of fantasy leagues, Kittle seems to be the best option.
As for most likely bust? Marquise Goodwin is certainly an option, although his value never got so high as to create a big bubble around him this year. I could see 49ers fans over-drafting him, but for the most part, there’s not a huge artificial market for him. Which brings us to Jimmy G. I think Garoppolo will be able to build on last year, but I find myself wondering how expectations might climb for him. His current average draft position is the top of the seventh round. He is currently the eighth quarterback off the board, ahead of names like Kirk Cousins, Jared Goff, Andrew Luck, Matt Ryan, Philip Rivers, Matthew Stafford, and Ben Roethlisberger.
Garoppolo could end up being a high scorer for this team, but given expectations, potential fantasy bust is not exactly out of the realm of the possible. Do folks have other suggestions on the bust side?