Week 3 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Marquise Goodwin caught a 38-yard touchdown early in the first quarter in a win over the Bengals last week and finished the game with 77 yards on three receptions. He showed he still has some big-play potential, but only three targets – tied for fourth on the team – makes him a risky bet for a repeat performance. Rookie Deebo Samuel looks like the best receiver in San Francisco right now. This week, Goodwin is a dart throw at best, hoping he’ll score on another long touchdown. It’ll be feast or famine with him, and he should probably remain on waivers as a result.
Week 2 at Cincinnati Bengals
Marquise Goodwin played the second-largest percentage of the snaps among 49ers wide receivers last week, but he was only targeted three times and caught just one pass for seven yards. The 49ers’ offense looked rusty and out of synch in what should’ve been a good matchup against the Buccaneers, and it’s going to be hard to trust anyone in the San Francisco offense not named Kittle until we see something. The Bengals should be another good matchup, but Goodwin should probably stay on waivers until we get more of a handle on the quality and number of targets he’ll see on this team.
Week 1 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Marquise Goodwin struggled through injuries last season and wound up with only 23 catches in 11 games for 395 yards and four touchdowns. Goodwin remains listed as a starter for the 49ers however, and he had two games with over 100 yards with Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback toward the end of the 2017 season. If Goodwin can still get downfield, he has a chance to push Dante Pettis for targets. It’s too early to trust him, however, and we have ranked outside of WR3 territory heading into the season. Regardless of matchup, it’s hard to trust any 49ers receivers yet, and in most leagues, Goodwin should probably remain on waivers.
Fantasy Upside
Boasting the high-end speed that terrifies opposing defensive coordinators, Marquise Goodwin served as the team's No. 2 receiver last season. According to CBSSports.com Goodwin will continue to compete for the same role this season, but there's reason to believe the Niners would like to dial back on that. In April, head coach Kyle Shanahan questioned Goodwin's lack of consistency, and he struggled in 2018 with injuries and off the field issues, scoring double digits in PPR points just four times in 12 games. This year, the desired role might be one similar to the way the Falcons used Taylor Gabriel during Shanahan's time there as offensive coordinator. Gabriel averaged 16.5 yards per reception in 2016. The 49ers believe there is an element of diminishing returns with Goodwin's speed if he is on the field for too many snaps in a game. Also, scaling back his workload means less wear and tear, and a greater likelihood that he can remain healthy during the entire course of the season.
Fantasy Downside
According to NBCSports.com's Matt Maiocco, the high-round selections of wideouts Deebo Samuel and Jalen Hurd puts Goodwin's status as a starting receiver in 2019 at risk. Head coach Kyle Shanahan tipped his hand before the draft when he praised Goodwin's ability to play at a high level at times, but also stated that he doesn't always need to be a starting receiver. Indeed, the big-play wideout took a step backward in production last season, and missing five games due to injury certainly didn't help. Given all that, Maiocco still believes that Samuel could push for a starting job alongside Dante Pettis right off the bat, which would obviously limit Goodwin's upside.
2019 Bottom Line
A lot can happen between now and the start of the regular season, but Goodwin's stock is definitely lower than it was heading into last year's fantasy campaign.
Week 12 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Marquise Goodwin had 69 yards on four receptions against the Giants before the bye last week. Goodwin has been very touchdown-dependent in the few instances where he’s looked healthy in what will probably go down as a lost season for him and the 49ers offense as a whole. Goodwin has some upside against a Buccaneers defense that allows the third-most fantasy points per game to the wide receiver position this year, but is generally too risky to trust after such inconsistency and nagging injuries.
Update:
Goodwin is doubtful to play, so fantasy owners should avoid using him. Kendrick Bourne gets a bump in a nice matchup.
Week 10 vs. New York Giants
Marquise Goodwin caught only one of the four balls thrown his way last week, gaining 11 yards. While he remains a big play waiting to happen, his inconsistency makes him hard to bank on. Against the Giants this week, he’s not worth starting, as New York has allowed the fourth-least fantasy points per game to the wide receiver position this year.
Week 9 vs. Oakland Raiders
Marquise Goodwin seems to be an all-or-nothing kind of fantasy option, with his value highly dependent on long touchdowns. He got one last week against the Cardinals, but it was his only catch of the day – a 55-yard touchdown – and he was only targeted four times.
Goodwin is awfully hard to trust, but he’s worth considering if you have players on bye or need high boom-bust potential on your roster. The Raiders have been very average against wide receivers this year, but they are allowing 8.8 yards per pass attempt, tied with the Buccaneers for the most in the league.
Week 8 at Arizona Cardinals
Marquise Goodwin had only two catches for 24 yards last week against the Rams. It was encouraging to see him targeted five times – second-most behind George Kittle – but production from the 49ers receiving corps looks to be limited at best with C.J. Beathard behind center. Goodwin looks like a boom-or-bust option in most weeks, and with a matchup against the Cardinals this week in what could be an ugly game offensively, fantasy owners should look elsewhere.
Week 7 vs. Los Angeles Rams
After an injury-plagued first quarter of the season, Marquise Goodwin finally showed up last week against the Packers. He only caught four balls, but parlayed that into 126 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Goodwin is the most talented receiver for the 49ers, and if he stays healthy, he should develop into their primary target for the rest of the season.
This week, Goodwin faces a surprisingly mediocre Rams secondary that has allowed 10 touchdowns to opposing receivers this season. With the Rams offense likely keeping the 49ers in passing situations all game, Goodwin could be a sneaky good option with garbage-time value. He’s a low-end WR2 option in most leagues.
Week 5 vs. Arizona Cardinals
Marquise Goodwin returned to the lineup to catch two passes or 24 yards. He was only targeted four times on the day, as C.J. Beathard leaned on George Kittle and Pierre Garcon for 41 percent of his throws. Goodwin has potential if he can stay healthy, but until we see Beathard use him consistently, it’s hard to trust him in your lineup. He’s a deep roster stash at best in most leagues, but can probably be left on waivers.
Update:
Hopefully you weren't counting on starting him anyway, but he looks to be inactive this week, so make sure he's not in your lineup.
