Have a bad weekend in fantasy? Let’s look at some San Francisco 49ers players who may help your team.
So, fantasy football is kind of a thing. If you lost in Week 1, the best part about losing in Week 1 is being first with your waiver claims for Week 2, and as the weeks go on, the pickings get slim. The San Francisco 49ers have some players you may want to consider after their own loss to the Minnesota Vikings. I figured I’d take a look at some of them and also some of the players that made our fool’s gold list and if you should hold them to a higher standard on your team. Percentage owned numbers are based on Yahoo! leagues.
Pick-ups
George Kittle
% Owned: 75
Week 1 stats: Five catches, 90 yards
Kittle was regarded as a sleeper tight end pick going into Week 1 and a lot of fantasy owners burned a late draft pick to put Kittle on their bench. He’s owned in 75 percent of leagues, so keep an eye out for him on your waiver wire.
With 90 yards and potential for two touchdowns, there’s no reason to not put him in your lineup. If he managed just one of those touchdowns, he’d be in the Top-3. Kittle was used quite a bit in 2017 and if Week 1 is any indication, that may happen again. Keep in mind, Shanahan gets several pass catchers involved in the game plan, so owners may get a bit frustrated if he’s not peppered with targets week to week. That’s a small concern. Kittle is worth at least burning a bench spot in all formats and worth starting in a 12-team league.
Pick up or don’t pick up: Pick him up
Matt Breida
% Owned: 58
Week 1 stats: 11 carries, 46 yards; One reception, five yards
The 49ers split running back carries down the middle Sunday, with Breida having just one carry less than Morris. Kyle Shanahan tends to run with the hot hand at running back and neither back was hot in Minnesota. That said, with Breida’s limited ownership, he’s worth a look in deeper leagues. For 10-team leagues and below, it’s an add if you’re absolutely desperate at the position or have a vacant bench slot burning a hole into your team.
There’s no guarantee Breida will be giving you points week to week, especially with Alfred Morris in there. He’s not worth a first waiver claim, especially when other potentially more productive options like Bilal Powell are available in 58 percent of leagues. Powell is not a sure thing either, but I’d be more comfortable with him getting 10 touches a game than Breida. Let this one simmer unless it’s a deeper league or you ignored the running back position for 10 rounds in your draft. It’s worth a bit more consideration in PPR, but not much.
Pick up or don’t pick up: Don’t pick up. Not yet. There’s just too much available to merit burning your waiver claims on Breida.
Dante Pettis
% Owned: 1
Week 1 stats: Two catches, 61 yards; One touchdown
If you really, really, really, really want Pettis, you can wait until all your other waiver claims go through to get the wide receiver. But he’s definitely not worth it. Pettis had the day’s only touchdown, but the 49ers have a lot of mouths at wide receiver to feed, and Pettis is lower on the pecking order behind Marquise Goodwin and Pierre Garçon. There is no reason to even use a bench spot on Pettis. He was impressive, but he’s not ready for fantasy yet.
Pick up or don’t pick up: Don’t pick him up. Only one percent of leagues own Pettis. There’s a very good reason for that. There’s no need for that number to increase.
Robbie Gould
% Owned: 51
Week 1 stats: Three field goals, longest: 41 yards
Color me shocked that Gould is owned in only half of Yahoo! leagues. Given what he did for the 49ers last year, I saw him as a top-10 kicking option. Many like to stream kickers, but Gould could free up a waiver claim for your entire season. Gould will continue to make field goals, especially if the 49ers red zone issues continue. Put him on your team and don’t look back. You don’t need another kicker except when the 49ers are on bye.
Pick up or don’t pick up: If you’re someone who streams kickers, put a stop to that if Gould is in your league and use your claims on other positions. If you were unsatisfied with your kicker in Week 1 and Gould is an option, give him a look. If he’s available, pick him up.
Fool’s gold
Marquise Goodwin
% Owned: 94
Week 1 stats: 0 Catches, 0 yards.
Goodwin began last season as waiver fodder, but slowly picked up steam as the 49ers hype-train went on to the point he was becoming the receiver to have over Pierre Garçon. Well, he definitely was not a receiver you wanted to have Sunday as Goodwin managed a big fat goose egg after a thigh bruise early in the game. It’s not a good sign. Goodwin is currently listed day-to-day as he rehabs the injury, but his fantasy value couldn’t have started any worse.
Drop or don’t drop: Don’t drop him. Given that it’s Week 1, don’t do anything drastic yet. Keep Goodwin on your bench and wait to see what happens with this injury.
Jimmy Garoppolo
% Owned: 94
Week 1 stats: 15 completions, 261 yards; 1 touchdown, 3 interceptions
One of the overhyped quarterbacks in fantasy, Jimmy G makes our fool’s gold list in Week 1. My original idea was to fill out my roster and take Jimmy G late in the draft. Boy, I’m glad I didn’t follow through with that. Garoppolo had a terrible game and even if I did plan on making him my QB1, I’d be streaming a quarterback for Week 1. There was no way I’d start him against the Vikings. That said, I didn’t exactly expect this much of a stinker. If you are one of those people who reached for Jimmy Garoppolo (and from conversations I fear quite a few of you, including this guy who took him with his first pick).
So bench him? On the contrary, start him! Unless you have an elite fantasy QB in Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson, Garoppolo is worth a start. As I’m writing this, I’m watching a rookie QB with the New York Jets lay points on the Detroit Lions. In Detroit. I wonder what Jimmy G can do to them in Santa Clara. That said, I’d be eyeing any QB pickups this week before the position is gobbled up by other teams if you aren’t feeling the Jimmy G train.
Drop or don’t drop: You drafted him? You’re in it for the long haul. Don’t drop him.
About the Author: Insidethe49
