San Francisco 49ers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This was an interesting game to start the season. Both teams are unsure if their respective starting quarterbacks will be the future faces of their organizations. Both Jimmy Garoppolo and Jameis Winston have been with their teams for years now but it is likely the last year each quarterback can prove they belong in the starting roster. Besides the quarterbacks, this game still had plenty to see. That doesn’t mean it was all pretty; there was plenty of sloppiness from both teams. Welcome to the regular season ladies and gentlemen.
San Francisco 49ers
Quarterbacks
- Jimmy Garoppolo: 18/27, 166 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT | 2 carries, -2 yards
Jimmy Garoppolo needed to come out strong in this game, but he unfortunately started the game slow and inconsistent. Playing quarterback is just one of those positions; when your offense isn’t clicking it can make it that much harder to perform. Garoppolo had issues of his own though. His pick-six was a poor decision and throw that the cornerback easily snagged. Overall, it seems like this offense still has plenty of rust to shake off. Garoppolo was better as the game went on, but his overall performance was mediocre. I couldn’t pinpoint any particular receiver he was favoring besides George Kittle.
Running Backs
- Tevin Coleman: 6 carries, 23 yards | 2 receptions, 33 yards, 3 targets
- Matt Breida: 15 carries, 37 yards
- Raheem Mostert: 9 carries, 40 yards | 1 reception, 0 yards, 1 target
The 49ers split carries between their backs pretty evenly. Both Matt Breida and Tevin Coleman came out of the game due to injury at one point or another, and Coleman never made his way back on the field. His ankle injury should be monitored closely because if he is out for an extended period, Breida and Raheem Mostert could become more valuable. Breida took a while to get going, but he really began to impress me in the second half. He is a scary runner when he gets into open space. Mostert got plenty of work as well which makes me think it will be difficult finding consistent fantasy relevance in this backfield. That being said, it does seem the 49ers are intent on establishing the run this year and sticking with it, especially when it’s working. There were plenty of times the 49ers would keep running over and over again, daring the Bucs to stop them.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- George Kittle: 8 receptions, 54 yards, 10 targets
- Marquise Goodwin: 1 reception, 7 yards, 3 targets
- Deebo Samuel: 3 receptions, 17 yards, 3 targets
- Dante Pettis: 1 reception, 7 yards, 1 target
- Kendrick Bourne: 1 reception, 9 yards, 3 targets
- Richie James: 1 reception, 39 yards, 1 TD, 2 targets
Fantasy players were hoping to get a better sense of which wide receiver would take over on this team but so far none have stepped forward. George Kittle is just as plug-and-play as ever. He had a good game that could have been great were it not for two touchdowns getting called back due to sloppy play from the rest of the offense. Deebo Samuel didn’t look bad at first, but he had a bad fumble shortly before the half. The fumble wasn’t even forced by a Buccaneer: it was tapped out by his own teammate. Richie James Jr.’s touchdown was a good route, but he barely got any work besides that one play. He only had two total targets. I wish I could tell you which receiver will break out on this team but I feel we don’t know much more than we did a week ago. I know people were high on Dante Pettis, but one target is not the least bit comforting. There are just too many guys here with one or two catches on three or four targets that we can’t infer much from this game.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Quarterbacks
- Jameis Winston: 20/36, 194 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT | 5 carries, 13 yards
Oh Jameis Winston, why can’t Tampa Bay quit you? I hope you didn’t draft Jameis as your QB1 because he let you down today if you did. Winston showed good elusiveness on a play where he was a heartbeat away from being sacked. He somehow shook the defender and stepped forward for a nice throw. It’s odd, Winston can be elusive but that doesn’t mean he’s a great runner. Most of his passing night was horrible. Winston threw three interceptions but it should have been four. His first interception was right in O.J. Howard’s hands so there was nothing more he could have done. His second interception was definitely his fault when Richard Sherman saw the pass coming a mile away and took it to the house for a pick-six. His final interception was prime Jameis Winston. It was the very first play to start a two-minute drill for the win, but instead, Jameis threw one of the most bone-headed passes I’ve ever seen him throw for a pick-six. The pass was to absolutely nobody. I cannot stress enough how bad it was. This was the antithesis of clutch play. I believe at one point the Bucs had three turnovers over five plays.
Running Backs
- Peyton Barber: 8 carries, 33 yards | 2 receptions, 12 yards, 4 targets
- Ronald Jones: 13 carries, 75 yards | 1 reception, 18 yards, 1 target
- Dare Ogunbowale: 4 receptions, 33 yards, 5 targets
This was an interesting one to monitor. Peyton Barber got most of the work to begin with but Ronald Jones got plenty of reps as well, especially in the second half. At first, I thought Barber was looking like the better back but I soon realized that the Buccaneers will likely continue using both of these backs because they are so different. Barber is a bit better for the short gains while Jones looks great in open space. Jones had a great catch-and-run to pick up a tough third down. If Barber were to ever be hurt for an extended period of time I would personally buy-in on Ronald Jones in every league I could. He looks so much better after putting on some weight over the offseason. Jones showed great ability to stay on his feet, bouncing off defenders similar to Marshawn Lynch. If he continues to perform better than Barber, he could take over more of the workload. People though Dare Ogunbowale could be a solid sleeper but I’m still not quite convinced. Most of his catches came later in the game when the Buccaneers had already checked out.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- O.J. Howard: 4 receptions, 32 yards, 5 targets
- Chris Godwin: 3 receptions, 53 yards, 1 TD, 6 targets
- Mike Evans: 2 receptions, 28 yards, 5 targets
- Breshad Perriman: 2 receptions, 10 yards, 5 targets
- Cameron Brate: 2 receptions, 8 yards, 2 targets
I wouldn’t be too worried about Mike Evans. He was limited due to illness and had to come out and sit down with a towel over his head any time he made a play. Cameron Brate had a touchdown called back but I still think O.J. Howard is the tight end to own on this team. It’s tough having one of the Buccaneers’ tight ends on your fantasy team because it will be tough predicting their weekly production. Chris Godwin’s touchdown was a fantastic contested catch with Richard Sherman all over him. I can see why people are excited about him this year. He should do even better when Mike Evans is healthy and drawing more attention from the defense. Breshad Perriman had a couple of good catches but could have done more with his targets. He’s pretty irrelevant unless you are in incredibly deep leagues anyway.
–Ryan Kruse