Niner Noise
FanSided

Fantasy Football: 5 San Francisco 49ers Sleeper Picks for Your 2016 Team

By Peter Panacy

Nov 29, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Bruce Ellington (10) catches the ball during warm ups before the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 29, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Bruce Ellington (10) catches the ball during warm ups before the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 6
Next
November 8, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end Garrett Celek (88) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons during the second quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
November 8, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end Garrett Celek (88) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons during the second quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

Tight End Garrett Celek

2016 ESPN Fantasy Projection: 27.9 points

Sorry, I’m not going to buy into tight end Vance McDonald turning a corner in 2015 after a career-best-but-still-plagued-by-drops season a year ago.

But I will buy into fellow TE Garrett Celek beginning to assert himself in the 49ers offensive plans.

After all, the 49ers inked Celek to a four-year contract extension during the offseason, so they must have some sort of long-term vision for him moving forward.

And Celek proved he could be more than just a No. 3 tight end on the team’s roster too. Before a season-ending injury, Celek’s three touchdowns on 19 grabs certainly points in the right direction. So with former 49ers tight end Vernon Davis no longer in the picture, and McDonald’s ongoing issues, the door is open for Celek to be a No. 1 tight end this season.

Tight ends are a quarterback’s safety blanket within the red zone, so Celek should probably get a few chances to make some fantasy impact here.

Look for him as a backup tight end option on your roster or a bye-week fill-in when needed.

Next: No. 1: Wide Receiver Bruce Ellington