Subscribe
Follow Us
Jimmy Garoppolo got his first opportunity to be a franchise quarterback last season, beginning the year as the starter for the San Francisco 49ers. However, he tore his ACL three games into the season, prematurely ending what was supposed to be a breakout year for the 27-year-old.
Now, Garoppolo is ready to go for 2019, and the 49ers are considered a sleeper team by some as a result.
But what should we expect from the signal-caller this coming season, and should Fantasy Football owners target him in drafts?
The thing with Garoppolo is that we really don't know what he is yet. We know he is talented, and he has shown flashes of being a really good quarterback, but he hasn't started any more than five games in any one single season.
Remember: Garoppolo spent the first three-and-a-half years of his career as Tom Brady's backup in New England, with the Patriots finally freeing him by trading him to San Francisco in October 2017.
He went on to start five contests for the Niners that season, throwing for 1,560 yards, seven touchdowns, and five interceptions while completing 67.4 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 96.2.
That's all well and good, but the sample size was incredibly small, and in three starts in 2018, he was only mediocre.
The problem with the 49ers is that they have a lot of question marks at wide receiver. While they have considerable young talent at that position in the form of Dante Pettis and rookie wide outs Deebo Samuel and Jalen Hurd, there is a whole lot of uncertainty as San Francisco does not really have a clear-cut No. 1 receiver.
Fortunately, the Niners do have one of the league's best tight ends in George Kittle, so Garoppolo has a security blanket, but it's also important that some of these young wide outs—plus veterans such as Marquise Goodwin and Jordan Matthews—step up to provide Garoppolo with some reliable targets.
Article Continues Below
Also, remember: the 49ers are getting running back Jerick McKinnon after he missed all of 2018, and Matt Breida and Tevin Coleman also represent decent receiving options out of the backfield.
So, really, Garoppolo's production may very well come down to his wide outs, as he has ample talent around him at the other positions. We also need to keep in mind that the Niners' offensive line was not exactly great in 2018, as it allowed 48 sacks.
Now, if San Francisco addressed its offensive line in the offseason, it wouldn't be too much of an issue, but it didn't, so the 49ers will head into 2019 with some serious concerns in terms of pass protection.
Basically, there is potential here for Garoppolo. While he doesn't have a ton of arm strength, he has great pocket presence and seems to have the ability to read defenses pretty well. Plus, with Kittle and a crew of really talented running backs, he has some support. Of course, wehre Garoppolo can really have a big year is if his young receivers live up to their potential, which might be tough given that two of them are first-year players.
Expect Garoppolo to throw for around 3,500 yards with 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Hardly a bad year, but not one you would hotly pursue if you are looking for an elite quarterback for your fantasy team.
With Garoppolo coming off of the ACL injury along with all of the question marks at receiver and along the offensive line, it's hard to recommend rolling with Garoppolo as your top quarterback in fantasy.
