The San Francisco 49ers have a win-and-in scenario this afternoon against the Los Angeles Rams. The question is, will they have their season-long starting quarterback, or will it be Trey Lance once again? Is Jimmy Garoppolo available today for the 49ers and the fantasy football rosters of those still playing in leagues following his UCL injury?
Update: Jimmy Garoppolo is active for the 49ers Week 18 game.
Is Jimmy Garoppolo playing today vs. the Rams?
Garoppolo has been dealing with a torn ligament in his thumb, which kept him out last week against the Houston Texans. In a crucial matchup against the Rams, the expectation this week is that he will, in fact, return to the lineup and start the game.
Ian Rapoport tweeted this morning that the 49ers have not activated another quarterback, indicating Garoppolo will be active. Rapoport also noted that teammates saw him throw this week and said he looked “normal.”
Garoppolo appeared all week on the Niners’ injury report as a limited participant and carries a questionable status for the game. Lance will be ready to go if needed, but that will only be if Garoppolo can’t go today.
The 49ers must win to make the playoffs, but they’re in a fortunate position in that their fate sits in their own hands. Quite simply, beat the Rams, and they’re in the postseason — where they could easily face the Rams again on Wild Card Weekend.
His performance so far this season
Garoppolo has had a decent season on an offense that doesn’t solely depend on his arm to win games. The 49ers run a unique style of football, with a lot of work being done in the backfield. They like to create mismatches and run a lot of pre-snap motion plays, often resulting in handoffs to wide receivers, backs, or fullbacks.
Garoppolo has a 68% completion rate this year, matching his 2019 percentage, but has thrown fewer touchdowns. Going into Week 18, Jimmy G has 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, compared to 2019’s 27 touchdowns to 13 interceptions. That said, he has looked more comfortable in the role as the season has gone on. He also had to spend time this year without his stars.
George Kittle missed time early in the year, and the run game suffered when they lost Raheem Mostert in Week 1. Garoppolo had to deal with some turbulence, sure, but overall, he can do what the Niners need him to do — effectively manage the game and get the football to the stars of the offense.
Kittle, Deebo Samuel, and an emerging Brandon Aiyuk are all key contributors to that, not to mention the rising stock of rookie running back Elijah Mitchell (who has forced his way into the starting job).
Garoppolo’s fantasy expectations
Garoppolo is the QB19 for fantasy and is somewhat limited in the amount of points he can score because of the team’s run orientation and his style of football. For example, Garoppolo is a static pocket passer. He has 50 yards of rushing and 3 touchdowns on the ground from short-yardage situations this season.
From a fantasy perspective, the big point scorers are the guys who can throw for 250 yards and tuck it and run when necessary. Or your name is Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady. Garoppolo, on the other hand, doesn’t score a huge wealth of fantasy points because he simply doesn’t need to for his team to win.