Fantasy Football Rankings: 49ers Players You Should Draft, Avoid This Season

Editor?s note: To help you prepare for your fantasy football draft, NESN.com will profile each NFL team and analyze which players are worth picking and which players aren?t worth your time. Today, we look at the 49ers.

Let’s face it, if you are looking at the San Francisco 49ers for your fantasy football draft, you might want to reconsider your strategy.

The 49ers have a new head coach in Chip Kelly, but minus Carlos Hyde and Torrey Smith being San Francisco’s No. 1 running back and wide receiver, respectively, there’s not much else fantasy-wise.

So let’s take a closer look at the 49ers players you should draft and avoid and find a potential sleeper below.

DRAFT-WORTHY
Carlos Hyde, Running Back: Hyde by far is the best 49ers option for fantasy football owners. He’s not up there with No. 1 fantasy running backs like Adrian Peterson and Le’Veon Bell, but he might be one of the better No. 2 options. He likely will play a central role in Kelly’s offensive approach if he stays healthy, and his stats should see a nice bounce. Consider drafting him as early as Round 3.

Torrey Smith, Wide Receiver: Now that Anquan Boldin is out of the picture, Smith should be the 49ers’ No. 1 receiver. Due to his likely quarterbacks (more on them in a minute), he is more of a late pick for wide receiver depth or a FLEX starter. But even the 49ers have to score some touchdowns, and Smith likely will be on the receiving end of many of them.

AVOID
Colin Kaepernick/Blaine Gabbert, Quarterback: Yikes. Stay far away from drafting any 49ers quarterback this year. Gabbert appears to be the favorite after taking over the starting job last season prior to San Francisco’s Week 9 win over the Atlanta Falcons, but he’s nothing more than a short-term fix until the 49ers find their QB of the future. And gone are the days when Kaepernick could lead his team to the Super Bowl.

SLEEPER
Quinton Patton, Wide Receiver: The 49ers have multiple young wide receivers who could see a boost in numbers after Boldin’s departure, but Patton might be in the best position. He is entering his fourth NFL season, and Year 3 with San Francisco was his best yet statistically. He’s still, at best, a very late pick, but he might be worth a shot for fantasy owners. 

Thumbnail photo via Ed Szczepanski/USA TODAY Sports Images