The 49ers finally found Jimmy Garoppolo a formidable fantasy weapon on the perimeter who can get open, catch the ball, and make plays after the catch. When they acquired Emmanuel Sanders from the Broncos, most knew it would workout in Kyle Shanahan’s scheme, but the instant success is surprising. In only two games (with only a handful of practices under his belt), Sanders accumulated 11 receptions, 137 yards and two scores on 14 targets — highlighted by a 7-112-1 explosion and pantsing of Patrick Peterson in Week 9.
The addition of Sanders has not only made the veteran receiver more consistent from a fantasy perspective, but Jimmy Garoppolo and the rest of the pass catchers have greatly benefited from this addition. In the last two games, Jimmy G has thrown six touchdown passes to only one interception and bent over the Cardinals’ leaky defense to a tune of 317 yards and four scores.
With defenses having to key on Sanders as their true WR1, this opens things up for George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, and Dante Pettis. The two young wideouts will face lesser corners and won’t have to act as lead receivers, while Kittle will face less double teams.
Prior to the TNF explosion, The Wolf was already higher on Sanders than the “experts” on the Rest of Season Big Board as his WR29 (+8 vs ECR) and he’ll likely climb higher entering Week 10.
