Week 8 at Seattle Seahawks
Jimmy Garoppolo had 277 yards and a pair of interceptions against the Patriots last week. Despite the turnovers, the 49ers won a lopsided victory, with Garoppolo completing 80% of his passes. We’ve seen the good and bad from him this year, and fantasy owners should consider him a matchup-dependent streaming option in most league formats.
This might be a good week to start him if you need bye week help. The Seahawks have been a sieve defensively and just gave up huge numbers to Kyler Murray on Sunday night. Only the Falcons rank lower in aFPA to opposing quarterbacks, and their offense has been so good, they’ve been playing in a ton of shootouts. Garoppolo is worth considering as a streamer or in leagues that start two quarterbacks in a great matchup.
Week 7 at New England Patriots
Jimmy Garoppolo bounced back last week after a dismal Week 5 performance, throwing for 268 yards and three touchdowns in a convincing victory over the Rams. Better health was likely a contributing factor, both for Garoppolo’s ankle, and also for his top weapons, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle, who combined for 13 catches on 16 targets after being in and out of the lineup earlier this season.
This week, Garoppolo faces a tough Patriots defense that ranks second in the league in aFPA to opposing quarterbacks. With a difficult matchup and Garoppolo’s inconsistency in general as a fantasy asset, owners should look elsewhere if possible in all league formats.
Week 6 vs. Los Angeles Rams
Jimmy Garoppolo had a dismal return from injury last week in a lopsided loss to the Dolphins. He completed just 41.2% of his passes for 77 yards and a pair of interceptions before being benched. Part of that could be the surprisingly plucky Dolphins defense, and part of it could be Garoppolo’s injury having some effects, but either way, fantasy owners should give him some time before inserting into most lineups, regardless of matchup. Sit him.
Week 5 vs. Miami Dolphins
Jimmy Garoppolo has been hurt the past couple of weeks, but he may return to action this week against the Dolphins. The Miami defense hasn’t been terrible this year and actually ranks 11th in aFPA to opposing quarterbacks. Garoppolo has had limited success from a fantasy perspective as a starter, and had just 259 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the vulnerable Cardinals’ defense in Week 1. Expect the 49ers to try and win on the ground, and Garoppolo to have similar numbers to his Week 1 totals, making him a low-end QB2 option. Make sure to check his status.
Week 2 at New York Jets
Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 259 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Cardinals last week in a surprise Week 1 loss. Garoppolo has limited receivers to work with given the injuries to Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, which hurts his upside. Even George Kittle is hobbled. Generally speaking, Garoppolo is going to be a matchup option in most weeks, rather than a steady starter.
This week is a good matchup however. The Jets dealt with turnover and opt-outs across the defensive side of the ball and looked terrible against the Bills last week, allowing 312 yards and a pair of touchdown to Josh Allen. In a great matchup, Garoppolo is worth considering as a streaming option, injury replacement or solid QB2.
Week 1 vs. Arizona Cardinals
Jimmy Garoppolo finished his first healthy season as the starting quarterback for the 49ers with a Super Bowl loss and some up-and-down fantasy weeks. He threw 27 touchdowns, but 11 of those came against the Cardinals and the Bengals, who were both awful against the pass last year. That being said, Garoppolo managed 3,978 yards with a revolving door at wide receiver, which may improve this year with Deebo Samuel supposedly ahead of schedule on his return from injury and the addition of Brandon Aiyuk in the first round of the draft.
This week, Garoppolo faces a Cardinals defense that ranked dead last in aFPA to opposing quarterbacks last year and gave up eight touchdowns in two games to Garoppolo specifically! That kind of track record makes him an interesting streaming option, and we have him ranked just outside starting territory in 1QB leagues.
Fantasy Upside
As FantasyPros noted, Jimmy Garoppolo ranked eighth among eligible quarterbacks in points per pass attempt (0.51) and ninth in points per completion (0.75), but his lack of total completions and attempts kept him out of the top 15. He also averaged just 0.27 points per rushing attempt. Beyond that, a league-low 45.8 percent of Garoppolo's passing yards came through the air, which only highlights just how good Garoppolo's receivers were after the catch.
Fantasy Downside
In other words, Garoppolo hasn't exactly been the franchise quarterback his highly lucrative contract makes him out to be. Statistically, Garoppolo put together a good year in 2019. But when the 49ers needed a quick strike to regain the lead in Super Bowl LIV, Garoppolo was unable to get the job done, most notably missing an open Emmanuel Sanders deep in the waning minutes of the game.
2020 Bottom Line
The 49ers are a Super Bowl contender again in 2020, but their quarterback hasn't yet proven that he's a Super Bowl-caliber signal-caller. Nor should he even be considered a front-line fantasy starter. Are there reasons for optimism? Garoppolo threw a touchdown on 22.6 percent of his passes that went over 20 yards in the air, which led the league. Perhaps HC Kyle Shanahan will take note and let his triggerman take more shots down the field, but expecting sudden, high-end fantasy production seems like a huge reach.
Week 17 at Seattle Seahawks
Jimmy Garoppolo was held to 248 yards, a touchdown and a pair of interceptions against the Rams last week. He’s been largely unproductive as a fantasy option through much of the season, despite big games against the Saints and Cardinals (x2). The 49ers have been winning mostly off the strength of their defense this year, making Garoppolo a middling fantasy quarterback.
The Seahawks rank 12th in aFPA to opposing quarterbacks this season and the last time the 49ers faced them, Garoppolo was sacked five times and held to a touchdown and a pick. In a moderate matchup after an unproductive fantasy season, owners should view him as no more than a QB2 option in large leagues.
Week 16 vs. Los Angeles Rams
Jimmy Garoppolo had just 200 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons last week in a surprising loss. The 49ers have now dropped three of their last six games after starting the season with eight straight wins. Garoppolo has had his moments this season, but has looked more like a caretaker than a legit fantasy option. While he torched the Saints two weeks ago, that was the only game this season where he’s put up good fantasy numbers outside of two great games against the woeful Cardinals defense. Garoppolo is getting more wins for the 49ers than he is for fantasy owners.
This isn’t an easy matchup for Garoppolo. Despite the Rams’ difficulties this season, they rank 10th in aFPA to opposing quarterbacks and ninth in passing yards allowed per game. He had just 243 yards and a pick the last time he faced the Rams – although he had a rushing touchdown as well – and both teams are still fighting for something. The 49ers are looking to win the division, while the Rams are still in the mix for the final wildcard spot. This could be a grind-it-out game with rough quarterback play all around. Fantasy owners should look elsewhere in most leagues.
Week 15 vs. Atlanta Falcons
Jimmy Garoppolo was fantastic last week in a thrilling win over the Saints. He put up 349 yards and four touchdowns in one of the most exciting NFL games all season. Garoppolo has been inconsistent from a fantasy perspective, but he’s had multiple touchdown passes in three of his last four games and has the 49ers in a great position with 11 wins.
This should be a good matchup for Garoppolo. The Falcons rank 24th in aFPA to opposing quarterbacks and have allowed an average of 27 points to opposing teams over the past three games. Still, fantasy owners should view Garoppolo as a streaming option and not something to bank on over proven starters. While he’s coming off a huge game, he’s still been a marginal fantasy option for much of the season and the 49ers may lean on the run game. We have him as a fringe QB1 this week.
