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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance had his first full season as a starter came to an end in Sunday’s 27-7 victory over the Seattle Seahawks when he went down with an injury. He broke his right ankle in the first quarter and is expected to have season-ending surgery on Monday.
If you are a fantasy football manager who rolled the dice with Lance on your roster, here is a look at some of the potential options if you need help at the position. All of these QBs are rostered in less than 50% of fantasy leagues on ESPN.
Justin Fields
The Chicago Bears quarterback is in his second NFL season and could figure things out as a former first-round pick. The passing numbers haven’t been there yet and it’s fair to question whether the Bears passing attack will see a significant improvement in Year 2 with Fields. However, he elevates his floor with his rushing ability, and that could be valuable for fantasy managers as Chicago gets ready for a Week 3 matchup with the Houston Texans.
Jameis Winston
The New Orleans Saints QB is prone to blowup performances like he had on Sunday when he threw three interceptions in a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In his last full season as a starter, Winston threw 33 touchdowns with 30 interceptions with Tampa Bay in 2019, but he had a 14:3 touchdown-to-interception ratio in seven games last year before an injury ended his season. You could certainly do worse than Winston as a potential replacement for Lance.
Jimmy Garoppolo
This is an obvious one as Jimmy Garoppolo will step right back into a starting role with the 49ers. He does not have a very high ceiling as a fantasy football contributor, but he could be used as a streaming option in a pinch. Garoppolo should be ultra-focused to be his best because he certainly wasn’t expected to have much of a role with the organization this fall as a potential trade piece. Lance is the team’s future, and Garoppolo has nearly a full season to prove to his next franchise what he can do.