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The San Francisco 49ers had a better season than expected in 2021. They went 10-7 and turned a playoff berth into playing in the NFC Championship Game. They drafted their quarterback of the future, Trey Lance, in the 2021 NFL Draft. He sat behind Jimmy Garoppolo for a season, but the 49ers have yet to find a trade partner for Jimmy G so that puts Lance’s status up in the air.
Quarterback
- Jimmy Garoppolo
- Trey Lance
Running back
- Elijah Mitchell
- Trey Sermon
- Jeff Wilson Jr.
- Tyrion Davis-Price
Wide receiver
- Deebo Samuel
- Brandon Aiyuk
- Jauan Jennings
- Ray-Ray McCloud
Tight end
- George Kittle
- Ross Dwelley
- Charlie Woerner
Biggest offseason changes
The 49ers got some unfortunate news from star wide receiver Deebo Samuel. He requested a trade from the team that hasn’t been fulfilled at the time of this writing. Samuel was a breakout wide receiver last year and was able to be an effective player from out wide or in the backfield.
The only other move that happened was that running back Raheem Mostert moved on to the Miami Dolphins. They wasted little time filling the hole, drafting LSU RB Tyrion Davis-Price to re-clog the backfield with a number of options.
Biggest questions for fantasy football
For the time being, you can’t expect Jimmy G or Lance to have fantasy value until one of the quarterbacks takes the step up to be the starter. If Samuel is traded then it depends on his landing spot to determine his value. If he stays in the bay, then he will be a top fantasy wide receiver given his flexibility on the field. If he is gone, no need to launch Aiyuk up your rankings. The biggest target for the quarterback will continue to be George Kittle.
The biggest question other than Samuel is what on earth to do with the running backs in this backfield. They used a third-round pick on Davis-Price, but they also used a third-round draft pick on Sermon in 2021. With the presence of Elijah Mitchell and Jeff Wilson Jr., this backfield is going to be one to avoid and then fingers crossed that you pick the right guy up off waivers.