Jimmy Garoppolo start or sit: Week 10 fantasy football advice

The San Francisco 49ers host the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football in Week 10, and they’ll be welcoming back a host of notable contributors on offense. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel and fullback Kyle Juszczyk both sat out Week 8 but will be back coming out of the bye. Additionally, the team has activated running back Elijah Mitchell, who will serve as a backup to Christian McCaffrey.

This opens the door for a lot of notable fantasy possibilities. One question that shouldn’t get overlooked is what it means for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

Fantasy Football analysis: 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo

Garoppolo currently ranks 17th in fantasy points per game and 20th in total fantasy points. He’s averaging 15.4 fantasy points per week, but in his past four games he’s scored between 16.32 and 18.02 points every week. This week, he faces a Chargers defense that has given up the 11th fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks and ranks 10th in pass defense efficiency.

The big storyline for Garoppolo is the return of several weapons. Samuel and Juszczyk are key cogs, but also, this will mark the first time Garoppolo has played with Mitchell since last season. Christian McCaffrey is the clear starter and will be a workhorse, but Mitchell is an intriguing addition that could keep defenses honest when McCaffrey is not on the field. Mitchell has generally been a more effective weapon than Jeff Wilson was, so that represents a bit of an upgrade to the offense.

Start or sit in Week 10?

Garoppolo is a must-start in two QB leagues and a solid superflex option. In single QB leagues, there’s some low-end QB1 upside, but his ceiling is still lower than most in the QB1 range.