Dynasty Dilemma: Jimmy Garoppolo

By Joe Goodwin

Jimmy Garoppolo has spent a majority of his NFL career as a “player-in-waiting.” In that, I mean he was a player that everyone was anticipating taking a leap into the upper tier of quarterbacks. And, based off of some games, he has shown the potential to be that player.

Garoppolo had performed as a top 12 fantasy quarterback in 4 games last year. In those games, he averaged: 34 passing attempts, 23 completions, 270 yards, 2.5 touchdowns, and 3 total interceptions.

In the 6 games he did not perform as a top 12 fantasy quarterback, he averaged 27.8 passing attempts, 18.8 completions, 216.8 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 total interception.

One thing is consistent in both, Garoppolo does not throw a lot of interceptions. He is smart with the ball and does not take many risks. In addition to his conservative throwing habits, Jimmy G does not run. He totaled 33 yards on the ground with a paltry 1.4 yard average per rush.

So, while many of the quarterbacks in today’s football have shown an ability to penalize teams with timely runs or magical escapes from pass rushers, Jimmy G is not that quarterback. Here’s a sample of quarterbacks that logged more rushing yards than Jimmy last season:

Desmond Ridder, Sam Howell, Ryan Tannehill, Malik Willis, Zach Wilson, Sam Darnold, and Carson Wentz.

You get the point! Jimmy G is not running the ball. And, a few of those quarterbacks were able to amass more yards running in only 1 game.

Will reuniting with Josh McDaniels in Las Vegas (re)ignite his career? One can argue that Jimmy G has never had a receiver as talented as Davante Adams. However, the 49ers offense with Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and Christian McCaffery was the best group of offensive weapons Jimmy G has ever had to utilize, and he was middling at best.

In short, there is no dilemma when it comes to Jimmy Garoppolo in fantasy football. If you already have him on your team, I would subtly check any interest within your league. A team with a lot of risk heading into this season (think owners of Jordan Love, Sam Howell, Mac Jones, Kenny Pickett) and see if a solid backup is of interest. Anything in the 2nd or 3rd round of a rookie draft would entice me to make the trade.

Jimmy G “can” be a very efficient, solid quarterback capable of solid numbers as a Superflex starter in 2023. Based on his full body of work, Jimmy G is not a top 12 fantasy quarterback that would start in 1 QB leagues and should not be a target in dynasty leagues unless you have a long term plan in place and need a 1 year fill in.

I see Jimmy G as being a one year placeholder until your rookie or devy investments are ready to be every week starters beginning in 2024. So, if you are doing a startup draft now, he should be a 3rd QB (at best) with a more viable long-term plan in place.

Otherwise, pass on Jimmy Garoppolo shares in dynasty, and instead invest heavily in the next 2 years of quarterbacks with rookie and devy picks.