As the Las Vegas Raiders look to bounce back during the 2023 season, they’ll do so with a new quarterback as the face of the franchise in Jimmy Garoppolo. As the veteran signal-caller reunites with his old offensive coordinator in head coach Josh McDaniels, we’re breaking down what you can expect from him in Sin City this season.
2023 Fantasy Football: Jimmy Garoppolo Profile
Recap of 2022 season
After beginning the season as the backup to Trey Lance, an injury to the latter thrust Garoppolo into the starting lineup once again for the San Francisco 49ers. The veteran signal-caller appeared in 11 games for San Francisco, throwing for 2,437 passing yards and 16 touchdowns with four interceptions. Garoppolo averaged 15.0 fantasy points per game before he suffered a foot injury in Week 13, which would eventually rule him out for the remainder of the season and playoffs.
Updated Raiders outlook
It’s hard to move off of the offensive talent they have in San Francisco, but Las Vegas isn’t a bad backup spot to land. The Silver and Black boast arguably the best receiver in the league in Davante Adams and have a promising supporting cast of wideouts in Hunter Renfrow and Jakobi Meyers. RB Josh Jacobs is coming off a league-leading rushing season in the backfield, while TE Michael Mayer could prove to be a sufficient replacement for Darren Waller.
The icing on the cake is that Garoppolo is more than familiar with Josh McDaniels’ system, having played for him with the New England Patriots for three seasons.
Best-case scenario
With Garoppolo having undergone surgery on his left foot after signing with the Raiders, the No. 1 priority is that he’s healthy and able to participate in training camp and the preseason ahead of starting in Week 1. So long as he can suit up and take the field for the start of the season, that’s really all Las Vegas can hope for after significantly re-hauling their offensive roster in the offseason.
As a veteran with familiarity with McDaniels’ scheme, Garoppolo should be equipped to get the ball to his weapons.
Worst-case scenario
Garoppolo is on track to start Week 1, but his NFL career is riddled with injuries. Now that he has made it to training camp and the preseason, the worst case is another injury that costs him significant playing time.
Prediction
There’s too much riding on the line for the Garoppolo-Raiders partnership not to work out, so I do believe he’ll be healthy and ready to start come Week 1. With an ample amount of weapons around him, there should be no shortage of opportunities for him to average a decent amount of fantasy points to warrant consideration as a QB2. Based on historical production, 15.0 to 18.0 fantasy points per game seems like a practical benchmark.