49ers at Broncos
Game Info
Kickoff: Monday, 8/19 at 7:00 pm
Location: Broncos Stadium at Mile High, Denver CO
Betting Odds: DEN -2 via Oddsshark
Network: ESPN
San Francisco 49ers
Stairway to Tevin?
The team announced last week that Jerick McKinnon had suffered a setback with his knee and could start the season on IR. That would mean that RB duties would likely be split by Tevin Coleman and Matt Breida at least to start the year. All three were expected to play in this offense so a two-RB split could mean significant boosts in fantasy value for Breida and Coleman should McKinnon sit. Coleman has had success in the past with head coach Kyle Shannahan and there are reports that he has consistently been the primary back with the top offense in camp. Breida is no slouch either and is coming off a year in which he went over 1,000 total yards and scored 5 touchdowns. Neither played in the first preseason game but I expect both to get work in this one.
Who will Jimmy G be throwing to?
There has been a lot of information coming out about the team’s pass-catchers over the last few days. Dante Pettis, who many believed could be primed for a breakout year, is reportedly still fighting for a starting spot. Rookies Jalen Hurd and Deebo Samuel are likely the biggest reason for this as both looked great in the first preseason game and have reportedly looked great in camp. Trent Taylor, who was widely expected to be the team’s starting slot receiver, had surgery on his foot on Friday and could miss 4-6 weeks. George Kittle is sure to be a favorite target after a great year in 2018 but he sat out the first preseason game. I expect him to play some this week and we will hopefully get more clarity on the wide receiver situation as well.
Denver Broncos
No Riddick, no problem
Like their opponent in this game, the Broncos also recently got some bad news at the running back position. It was announced on Sunday that newly acquired Theo Riddick fractured his shoulder and could miss the first 6-8 weeks of the regular season while he recovers. While it already seemed that Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman would work in some sort of committee, taking the RB3 out of the mix will make it even more important to see how they work will be split. Riddick is best knows as a receiving back and Lindsay had more success in the passing game last year catching 35 passes for 241 yards and 1 score compared to Freeman’s 14/72/0. Because of this, I expect Lindsay to take on more work in Riddick’s absence, but the distribution of touches will certainly be something to watch for in this game.
Fant stop won’t stop
I expect to see an increase in targets for Noah Fant this week as the Broncos work to bring him along in their new offense. The former Iowa Hawkeye (go Hawks!) is much needed as a few of the team’s other tight ends are banged up and there are still questions at wide receiver outside of Emmanuel Sanders and Courtland Sutton. He has the speed and agility to get open consistently and be one of the best tight ends in the league, but he still has a lot of room for improvement. So far this preseason he has 3 catches for 21 yards counting the Hall of Fame game. He will have a chance to learn a thing or two from Kittle, his former Hawkeye teammate, this week as the two teams will practice together ahead of their matchup. I am very eager to see how Fant progresses and to see what he can do with more targets.
-Dave Lathrop (@DaveLathropQBL)
Featured Image by Nathan Mills (@NathanMillsPL on Twitter)