Josh McDaniels and the Las Vegas Raiders are turning to a familiar face to lead their offense in 2023. The Silver and Black signed veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in the offseason, with the hopes that his rapport and awareness in McDaniels’ offensive scheme can help propel the Raiders back into playoff contention. To help ease the transition, Garoppolo will have one of the best receivers in the league and the reigning NFL rushing leader alongside him in the AFC West.
Fantasy Football analysis: Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo
Prior to his season-ending foot injury against the Dolphins last season, Garoppolo was actually one of the more efficient options in fantasy football. Between Weeks 3 and 11, he was the QB11 overall and the QB12 in points per game at 17.1. Naturally, he had plenty to work with when it came to weapons and talent around him, but he landed in an ideal situation with Davante Adams and Josh Jacobs waiting for him in Las Vegas.
Start or sit in Week 1?
Sit. The main question surrounding Garoppolo is whether he can thrive outside of Kyle Shanahan’s system and the plethora of talent he had around him in San Francisco. Until we get an answer to that question, fantasy managers should play it cautiously with Garoppolo. Additionally, playing on the road in Denver is no easy feat for even the elite quarterbacks in the NFL. Last season, the Broncos tied for the seventh-fewest fantasy points (14.0 PPG) allowed to quarterbacks.
While Garoppolo has been an excellent game manager, he’s not known for the deep ball or his prowess in creating big plays. Until we see how he fares in McDaniels’ system, he should remain on the bench in Week 1, despite drawing some consideration in larger leagues.
Player(s) you would start ahead of Jimmy Garoppolo
Matthew Stafford and Kenny Pickett are worth considering as starting options ahead of Garoppolo. Though Stafford faced an injury-riddled 2022 season, he’s established in Sean McVay’s system and should face no hesitations in throwing the deep ball. Pickett is situated nicely for a major leap forward in 2023, and similar to Garoppolo, he has no shortage of weapons around him with George Pickens, Najee Harris, and Pat Freiermuth.