More young talent enters the wide receiver mix for San Francisco, but it's tight end George Kittle who has established himself as the team's top pass-catching target in advance of Jimmy Garoppolo's return to the field. The backfield is heavy on talent but light on clarity, with Tevin Coleman joining Matt Breida and Jerick McKinnon, who like Garoppolo, returns after losing 2018 to an ACL injury.
2018 Review
Record: 4 - 12 (29th in NFL)
PPG: 21.4 (21)
YPG: 360.6 (16)
Pass YPG: 241.7 (15)
Rush YPG: 118.9 (13)
PAPG: 33.3 (20)
RAPG: 26.4 (11)
2018 Fantasy finishes
QB: Nick Mullens - QB33; C.J. Beathard - QB36; Jimmy Garoppolo - QB39
RB: Matt Breida - RB26; Alfred Morris* - RB68; Kyle Juszczyk - RB70; Jeff Wilson - RB82; Raheem Mostert - RB85
WR: Kendrick Bourne - WR64; Dante Pettis - WR71; Marquise Goodwin - WR83
TE: George Kittle - TE3
*No longer with team
Number to know: (-25)
The 49ers led the NFL in one of the worst categories for any team -- turnover margin. They only had seven takeaways (two interceptions and five fumble recoveries) compared to 32 giveaways (20 interceptions and 12 fumbles lost). The additions of Dee Ford and Kwon Alexander will hopefully help the defense, and the healthy return of Jimmy Garoppolo (ACL) should improve the offense.
2019 Offseason
"Everything is about reps. And even if you knew the offense inside and out, there's rust for everybody. You have to throw. You've got to do it all the time. There's a rhythm to playing football, especially at the quarterback position. And if you're not out there, you lose that rhythm. And there's rust. And that's why guys come back from injury, and it does take guys some time. Not because they're not healed, but because it takes you a while to get your rhythm back for whatever sport you're playing." - Kyle Shanahan, on Jimmy Garoppolo
Head Coach: Kyle Shanahan (3rd year)
Offensive Coordinator: None
Pass Game Coordinator: Mike LaFleur (3rd year)
Run Game Coordinator: Mike McDaniel (3rd year)
Draft Picks
1. (2) Nick Bosa, DE
2. (36) Deebo Samuel, WR
3. (67) Jalen Hurd, WR
4. (110) Mitch Wishnowsky, P
5. (148) Dre Greenlaw, LB
6. (176) Kaden Smith, TE
6. (183) Justin Skule, T
6. (198) Tim Harris, CB
Additions
RB Tevin Coleman, WR Jordan Matthews, TE Levin Toilolo, DL Dee Ford, LB Kwon Alexander, LB David Mayo, DB Jason Verrett
Key Departures
RB Alfred Morris, WR Pierre Garcon, LB Cassius Marsh, P Bradley Pinion
Rankings and Projections
| Player |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jimmy Garoppolo | QB15 | QB15 | QB21 |
| Tevin Coleman | RB29 | RB27 | RB29 |
| Jerick McKinnon | RB47 | RB45 | RB36 |
| Matt Breida | RB54 | RB57 | N/A |
| Dante Pettis | WR29 | WR23 | WR34 |
| Deebo Samuel | WR53 | WR54 | WR59 |
| George Kittle | TE3 | TE2 | TE3 |
| Robbie Gould | K8 | K7 | K14 |
| 49ers DST | DST24 | DST16 | DST26 |
| Heath Cummings' projected offensive stats | |
| 4,220 YD, 27 TD, 12 INT | |
| 192 ATT, 844 YD, 6 TD; 31 REC, 276 YD, 1 TD | |
| 141 ATT, 563 YD, 4 TD; 41 REC, 308 YD, 2 TD | |
| 93 TAR, 56 REC, 895 YD, 7 TD | |
| 82 TAR, 53 REC, 645 YD, 5 TD | |
| 66 TAR, 34 REC, 578 YD, 3 TD | |
| 132 TAR, 86 REC, 1,146 YD, 5 TD | |
Biggest Question
Which running back will stand out?
"The one who is most likely to survive 16 games and get goal-line carries is the one to chase. It doesn't hurt that he got paid to come to the Niners this offseason, either. Tevin Coleman is familiar with Kyle Shanahan's offense and has finished inside the top 24 among rushers in any format for three years running. He'll make it four straight this fall." - Dave Richard
One sleeper, one breakout, and one bust
Sleeper: Deebo Samuel
The range of possibilities for Samuel this season are he could be the No. 1 receiver for the 49ers or No. 4 behind Dante Pettis, Marquise Goodwin and Jordan Matthews. I'm guessing he'll end up second behind Pettis, but I love the outlook for Samuel in this offense. He had 62 catches for 882 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2018 at South Carolina, and Garoppolo should love leaning on Samuel this year. He's worth a late-round pick in all leagues.
Breakout: Jimmy Garoppolo
Garoppolo is expected to be fine for training camp, and he's a great quarterback to wait for on Draft Day in all leagues. He scored at least 20 Fantasy points in two of the three games he appeared in last season before getting hurt, and the combination of Garoppolo, C.J. Beathard and Nick Mullens had nine games with at least 20 Fantasy points last season. With Samuel on the roster and hopefully 16 quality games out of Goodwin to go with Pettis, George Kittle, and good pass-catching running backs, Garoppolo has plenty of weapons at his disposal. If he stays healthy, this should be a big year for him in 2019.
Bust: Tevin Coleman
Coleman is getting plenty of work this offseason with Jerick McKinnon still slow in his recovery from last year's torn ACL and Matt Breida (pectoral) also out. But McKinnon and Breida should be fine for Week 1, which should make this a three-headed backfield. Coleman should still lead the 49ers in touches, but he's not going to dominate production if everyone is healthy. He should only be drafted in Round 6 or later as a No. 3 running back in all leagues.
So which sleepers should you snatch in your draft? And which RB2 can you wait on until late? Visit SportsLine now to get Fantasy Football cheat sheets from the model that called Andrew Luck's huge season, and find out.
