Beller's latest installment lists early 2019 fantasy football breakout candidates and, once again, a 49ers player made the list. His list contains players who are already known among the fantasy football community.
"What makes them breakout candidates is the plausible chance that they will reach new heights this season, and then be good bets to remain there for the foreseeable future," writes Beller.
Which 49ers player is on the list? Second-year wide receiver Dante Pettis. Much of the reasoning behind the selection has to do with the situation in which Pettis finds himself. Kyle Shanahan is his head coach, and Jimmy Garoppolo will be throwing him the football.
Beller notes that the 49ers finished with the No. 16 overall offense in 2018. Most of that was without Garoppolo, who is expected to be the Week 1 starter this season. The team also added Tevin Coleman to a running back group that will be getting back Jerick McKinnon and already had Breida.
Beller wrote the following about Pettis:
"The team whiffed on its pursuits of Odell Beckham and Antonio Brown, leaving last year's group of receivers mostly intact. Of that group, Pettis is easily the most promising. A second-round pick in the 2018 draft, Pettis played only sparingly the first half of the season. Going into the team's 10th game, he had just eight targets. Over its next six, he got 37 looks, pulling down 24 of them for 371 yards and four touchdowns. That comes out to a 16-game pace of 64 catches for 989 yards and 11 scores. And remember, he did all of that with Nick Mullens at the helm. No offense to Mullens, who did a great job with the hand he was dealt, but clearly Garoppolo has more upside and can take the offense to a new level."
Beller isn't the only one expecting big things this season from Pettis.
"I have big expectations for Dante," Shanahan said in February. "We did before we drafted him. We had it throughout this year, and we expect him to continue to get better. I think he went through the normal rookie-type ups and downs that a lot of them do as receivers.
"He came in strong in training camp, got a little banged up but was healthy enough for Week 1; did well Week 2. I think he had a touchdown in Week 1. Week [4], he got an injury that kind of set him back. He didn't get right until about Week 12. Then he finished the year very strong. He finished the year up probably as our best guy."
More San Francisco 49ers News
-
49ers vs. Bills injury report: Purdy expected to play Sunday; Williams, Bosa among 6 ruled out
The San Francisco 49ers are preparing for their Week 13 contest against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. Both teams have released their official injury reports, which are provided below. San Francisco 49ers Out G Aaron Banks... -
49ers vs. Bears injury report: 5 players miss Wednesday's practice
The San Francisco 49ers are preparing for their Week 14 contest against the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Several 49ers starters remain sidelined as they continue their injury recoveries. Defensive end Nick Bosa, tackle Trent Williams,... -
Brock Purdy throwing at 49ers practice on Friday; No Trent Williams or Nick Bosa
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy appears to be making strides in his recovery from a shoulder injury. During the portion of Friday's practice open to the media, Purdy was seen throwing—a notable improvement after limited activity earlier in the week. Unlike... -
49ers announce roster moves ahead of Week 13 Friday practice
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of offensive lineman Sebastian Gutierrez to the practice squad. To make room on the practice squad, the team released offensive lineman Cameron Erving. The 49ers Communications staff provided the following rundown. Gutierrez...