Niners Nation open thread: 2020 fantasy rankings

Every new NFL season millions of fans put on their general manager hats to assemble their fantasy football teams.

The San Francisco 49ers surpassed expectations in 2019, leading to a few players ranking highly for fantasy production at their position.

ESPN released its post-draft fantasy rankings for each position going into 2020. Here is where some of the prominent 49ers were ranked using the PPR format:

Quarterback: Jimmy Garoppolo is No. 22.

Running backs: Raheem Mostert is No. 24, Tevin Coleman is No. 46.

Wide receivers: Deebo Samuel is No. 29, rookie Brandon Aiyuk is No 63.

Tight end: George Kittle is No. 2

Defense: The 49ers are ranked No. 2

Kittle and the defense being ranked second is no surprise. Kittle has proven to be one of the best tight ends in the game over his short career and will continue to put up big numbers. The Niners defense is stacked as well, and with second-year defensive end Nick Bosa getting in a full offseason of work as a pro, I expect San Francisco to get a lot of sacks like it did last season.

Mostert and Coleman are part of head coach Kyle Shanahan’s running back by committee rotation, so neither is a consistent threat in terms of fantasy each week. Although Mostert and Coleman had some big games last season, you never know who is going to get a bulk of the carries each week. Mostert did separate himself from the group as the 2019 season wore on, so I can see him being a top-15 fantasy back.

Both 49ers’ receivers on the list are still young and unproven. Although Samuel had a nice rookie season, he will have to take another step in his development to be a top-15 pass catcher in terms of fantasy. Aiyuk will be a boom or bust selection. No one knows what to expect from a rookie coming in, but if Shanahan’s excitement is any indication, Aiyuk should have plenty of opportunities to put up big numbers.

The surprising part to me is seeing Garoppolo ranked so low. He finished with 260 fantasy points in 2019, ranking 14th overall at the quarterback position. Although the 49ers are a run-first team, Garoppolo had a few big games last year, including the two wins against the Arizona Cardinals and the shootout victory in New Orleans.

What do you think of ESPN’s rankings? Is there a 49er player that you think will exceed their fantasy expectations?

Sound off below!