Fantasy football: What to make of 49ers entering 2021

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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel (19) Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /

Fantasy football: Biggest risks on 49ers roster

Jimmy Garoppolo is a sizable risk given his injury history, and that’s a prime reason why he won’t go until very late in most fantasy football drafts.

But if your team is banking on Jimmy G to carry you through to victory, you’re probably in trouble anyway.

There are other risks, however, you should be mindful of if you’re insisting on adding some 49ers players throughout the draft.

RB Raheem Mostert

Fantasy owners should be leery of targeting a Niners running back early anyway, given head coach Kyle Shanahan typically doesn’t rely on a point-getting bell-cow tailback.

But for an RB2 option or key reserve, some owners may target running back Raheem Mostert, hoping he can revert back to his 2019 form in which he generated 952 all-purpose yards, 14 receptions and a team-best 10 touchdowns.

Yet Mostert suffered multiple injuries last year, limiting him to just eight games, and the likely infusion of rookie running back Trey Sermon into the lineup will cut into Mostert’s chances.

Mostert’s ADP of 4.08 is probably a bit too high, so target him with caution or rely on some quality handcuff depth in case of injury.

WR Deebo Samuel

Wide receiver Deebo Samuel is another one of those boom-or-bust fantasy options. On one hand, his 961 all-purpose yards and six touchdowns in 2019 make for an enticing mid-round target, assuming he winds up being better this year than his rookie campaign.

Yet Samuel’s injury history, which extends back to his collegiate days at South Carolina, crept back up on him last year and forced him out of all but seven games.

As a result, Samuel finished with a disappointing 80.7 fantasy points in 2020.

This has led to some owners being bearish on Samuel, giving him an ADP of 7.09 and ranking him the No. 34 wide receiver in terms of fantasy projections.

While Samuel could enjoy a bounce-back season in 2021, it’d be smart to have a viable backup or at least peg him as a reserve until he proves he’s staying healthy.