Fantasy football: What to make of 49ers entering 2021
By Peter Panacy
The 49ers provide few dominant safe bets in fantasy football this season, but there’s a deep array of possible sleepers and waiver-wire grabs.
For those fantasy football pundits looking to stockpile some players from their favorite team, the San Francisco 49ers, the upcoming 2021 campaign provides some provocative choices, potential risks and some long-term sleeper looks.
The Niners have only one clear-cut fantasy football stud, All-Pro tight end George Kittle, who’ll look to bounce back from what was an inconsistent and injury-filled 2020 campaign in which he was limited to just eight games played.
Yet Kittle was more than productive enough to warrant a lofty fantasy draft selection in 2021, as his 48 catches for 634 yards and two touchdowns during that abbreviated stretch would have equated to 96 catches, 1,268 yards and four scores over a full 16-game season, translating to 250.2 fantasy points in standard PPR leagues.
While Kittle might not be the touchdown machine or pure yards-getter like Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, Kittle’s average draft position (ADP) in 12-team PPR leagues remains high at 2.08, the clear-cut No. 2 tight end behind Kelce, according to Fantasy Football Calculator.
Kittle owners will have to gamble a bit on his recent injury history. But with Kelce taking Kittle’s former NFL record for single-season receiving yards by a tight end, there’s plenty of motivation here to bank on the latter’s upside, making him a safe Round 2 target and a draft steal if he falls any later.
Related Story: George Kittle remains 49ers’ best fantasy football option
But what about the rest of San Francisco’s roster?
The 49ers offer a number of unique options for fantasy football owners, particularly some of those sleeper picks and waiver-wire grabs who, all too often, mean the difference in winning your league championship.
Let’s break down the Niners’ entire fantasy football outlook heading into 2021.