Fantasy football: Four 49ers who are hidden-gem value picks for 2020

Fantasy Football Gem No. 2: 49ers WR Trent Taylor

Next up on this list of 49ers who are potential fantasy values is wide receiver Trent Taylor. Like McKinnon, Taylor has struggled with injuries recently and was kept off the field for the entire 2019 season with a foot injury. Taylor is said to be back to form this offseason and will look to re-establish himself on the field in 2020.

Also like McKinnon, Taylor is going virtually undrafted in most fantasy leagues, according to FantasyPros, so if he can put up solid fantasy numbers at all, he will be a value. Taylor’s ability to produce comes not only from his abilities as a player but for one other major reason: his connection with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

Taylor and Garoppolo clearly built a connection at the end of the 2017 season, when Garoppolo began making his first starts for the team. Watching the games, it certainly seemed Taylor was Garoppolo’s favorite target on the field. Additionally, Garoppolo posted high passer ratings when targeting Taylor at the end of that season, showing the connection passes more than just the eye test.

If this relationship still exists in the 2020 season, it could lead to Taylor being an incredibly fantasy-relevant player. With Emmanuel Sanders moving on to the New Orleans Saints, and now Deebo Samuel being injured and likely missing the opening of the season, two of the 49ers’ top wide receivers will be gone at the beginning of this season. While rookie Brandon Aiyuk is expected to step into those roles, a rookie stepping up early in his first season is no certainty.

It is very possible Garoppolo looks to Taylor, who he previously connected with, to fill that void at the beginning of this season. And if that happens, Taylor will have significant fantasy football value, especially considering that you can pick him up for free in the majority of fantasy leagues.