Fantasy football guru Matthew Berry has joined the team and his two shows have you covered all season long. Spend weekdays at noon with the Fantasy Football Happy Hour and then, every Sunday at 11am getting ready for kickoff with the Fantasy Football Pregame. Watch both shows live on Peacock and catch replays for the weekday show on the NFL on NBC YouTube channel.
Week 3 of FNIA features a showdown between two powerhouses out west. An injury-riddled 49ers team (1-1) prepares for their first game without Trey Lance (ankle), as veteran Jimmy Garoppolo returns under center in an all-too-familiar role. The 49ers are also dealing with a banged-up backfield, with second-year running back Elijah Mitchell (knee) and rookie Tyrion Davis-Price (ankle) both sidelined in this one. If the Niners are lucky, they’ll have George Kittle (groin) active for the first time this season, providing a much-needed boon to their offense.
For the Broncos (1-1), head coach Nathaniel Hackett and quarterback Russell Wilson are still trying to get in sync after a slow start to the season. Once perceived as a potent offense, the Broncos have managed just 16 points in each of their first two games, while Wilson has struggled to the tune of 559-2-1 -- completing 58.9% of his passes on the young season. Wilson and wide receiver Courtland Sutton (11-194-0) have displayed good chemistry early on, but the Broncos will need to show more in Week 3 if they hope to breach a stout 49ers defense.
Sunday night’s matchup between the Broncos and 49ers is free to watch on NBC, so be sure to tune in. And don’t forget to play SN7 on the NBC Sports Predictor app, which is FREE, and offers you a chance to win or split a $100,000 guaranteed jackpot! The app offers other free-to-play games, including contests for the Premier League, MLB, NASCAR, IndyCar and College Football. Download it now and enjoy!
Here’s a look at some of my favorite plays for this week’s SN7 contest.
Jimmy Garoppolo: Passing Yards
Offseason shoulder surgery made Jimmy Garoppolo a difficult player to move this off-season. The veteran signal-caller remained with the 49ers throughout the offseason and restructured his deal to remain with the team through 2022.
Now back in the saddle for the foreseeable future, Garoppolo will look to lead the 49ers for at least one more season before finalizing what feels like a pending divorce between the two.
Garoppolo helped lead the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance in 2018 but hasn’t offered the top-10 upside the 49ers hoped to see with Trey Lance. Garoppolo threw for 3810-20-12 last season and ranked eighth in EPA/play (0.203). As a team, the 49ers ranked 30th in early-down pass frequency (43.3%), and are back to their old ways again this season, ranking dead last in early-down pass frequency through two games (29.4%).
A banged-up backfield led by Jeff Wilson could force the 49ers into more passing situations this Sunday, but Deebo Samuel should still offer some relief as a runner. Through two games, Samuel has rushed 12 times for 105 yards and one touchdown.
Despite not starting in last week’s game against the Seahawks, Garoppolo more or less played a full game after Trey Lance exited in the first quarter. He managed only 154 passing yards and one touchdown on 13-of-21 passing. Kyle Shanahan has gone out of his way to avoid passing through two games, which I expect to see here.
A sub-200-yard game for Garoppolo could be in the works again after his 154-yard performance in Week 2 against the Seahawks.
Pick: Jimmy Garoppolo <200 yards
More Receiving Yards? Courtland Sutton or Jerry Jeudy
The Russell Wilson to Courtland Sutton connection was well-documented throughout training camp and has been strong through two weeks. Sutton has commanded a 28% target share through two games -- although it should be noted that Jerry Jeudy left Week 2 against the Texans with a chest/sternum injury.
Sutton is averaging nine targets per game and caught 7-of-11 targets for 122 yards last week against the Texans. He’s averaging 14.1 air yards per target to Jeudy’s 11.2
Proven to be a capable deep threat and a reliable mover of the chains, Sutton has earned the right to lead Denver’s receiving corps until Jeudy shows more consistency.
Pick: Courtland Sutton MORE receiving yards than Jerry Jeudy
Pick: Courtland Sutton MORE receiving touchdowns than Jerry Jeudy
First Touchdown Scorer
Taking into account Kyle Shanahan‘s undying desire to run the ball, it’s not crazy to think the 49ers could punch in one or two scores on the ground.
The catch, in this case, is that the SN7 contest doesn’t give us any 49ers running backs to choose from as the first touchdown scorer. If Jeff Wilson was an option, he would be the logical bet, but fullback Kyle Juszczyk, was also deployed for a goal line score last weekend -- as was Jimmy Garoppolo! Running backs Jordan Mason and Marlon Mack (yes, he’s back -- at least in some capacity) are also options here.
The only available 49ers player who’s a threat to take one in on the ground is Deebo Samuel -- which is an option that can’t be ruled out.
But with so many options on the ground available for San Francisco, taking anybody not named Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk or George Kittle feels somewhat reassuring.
Pick: First Touchdown Scorer -- Other San Francisco Player
