#Project32 provides in-depth breakdowns, projections, and rankings of all 32 teams coupled with promotion of some charitable organizations (a ‘My Clause My Cleats’ charity from some of your favorite fantasy players on each team)
In support of Prostate Cancer Foundation, the 2021 ‘My Cause My Cleats’ pick of Kyle ‘the Juice’ Juszczyk
PCF funds the world’s most promising research to improve the prevention, detection and treatment of prostate cancer and ultimately cure it for good.
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- Division: NFC West
- 2021 Finish: 10-7
- Divisional Record: 2-4
- 2022 Projected Finish: 10-7
- 2022 Strength of Schedule: 13th
San Francisco 49ers Offense
Play Caller: Kyle Shanahan
The San Francisco 49ers did not set the NFL on fire with tempo or use a lot of RPO and Play Action in 2021. They preferred to wear their opponents down physically by putting together long drives and keeping the opponents’ offense off the field. The 49ers ranked 28th in offensive plays per game (60.6) and 29th in pace of play (30.5 Seconds Per Play) while also finishing eight in time of possession. They averaged 6.1 yards per play, which was tied with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for first in the NFL.
They use an outside zone scheme that allows them to stretch defenses horizontally while using a complimentary passing game that puts their best players in space to create yards after the catch. They finished eighth in YAC last year with 2,264 yards. It certainly helps when you have playmakers like George Kittle and Deebo Samuel who combined for 1,218 yards after the catch last season. It’s going to be a lot of fun to see what this offense can do with Trey Lance under center.
2021 By the Numbers
- Points Scored: 427 (13th)
- Total Yards: 6,387 (7th)
- Total Plays: 1,046 (25th)
- Yards Per Play: 6.1 (1st – Tied with Tampa Bay)
- 1st Downs: 361 (11th), Passing 200 (15th), Rushing 130 (8th)
- Scoring Rate: 41.2% (13th)
- Turnover Rate: 11.5% (15th)
- Offensive Plays/Game: 60.3 (28th)
- Pace of Play: 30.5 Seconds Per Play (29th)
- Passing Ratio: 51% (29th)
- Neutral Game Script: 52% (27th)
- RPO: 52 Snaps (26.9% Success Rate)
- Motion: 723 Plays (38.9% Success Rate)
- No Huddle: 49 Plays (53.1% Success Rate)
- Play Action: 159 Plays (50.9% Success Rate)
2021 Target Distribution
WRs: 292 Targets (26th)
RBs: 99 Targets (16th)
TEs: 105 Targets (13th)
2021 Personnel Groupings
11 Personnel: 598 Plays
OVR: 48% (48% Success Rate)
Pass Rate: 66% (46% Success Rate)
Run Rate: 34% (52% Success Rate)
21 Personnel: 425 Plays
OVR: 34% (52% Success Rate)
Pass Rate: 44% (54% Success Rate)
Run Rate: 56% (50% Success Rate)
Offensive Line Projected Starters
LT: #71 Trent Williams
Age: 34 HT: 6’5 WT: 320 College: Oklahoma Draft: RD1 Pick 4
OVR PFF: 97.8 Pass: 86.0 Run: 97.9 (936 Snaps)
Contract: 5 years / $23,010,000 per year (1st at position) – Expires 2027
LG: #68 Colton McKivitz
Age: 25 HT: 6’6 WT: 301 College: West Virginia Draft: RD5 Pick 153
OVR PFF: 55.5 Pass: 58.8 Run: 51.8 (70 Snaps)
Contract: 1 year / $895,000 per year (78th at position) – Expires 2023
C: #64 Jake Brendel
Age: 29 HT: 6’4 WT: 299 College: UCLA Draft: UDFA
OVR PFF: 59.8 Pass: 69.0 Run 59.1 (6 Snaps)
Contract: 1 year / $1,035,000 per year (39th at position) – Expires 2023
RG: #60 Daniel Brunskill
Age: 28 HT: 6’5 WT: 300 College: San Diego State Draft: UDFA
OVR PFF: 61.4 Pass: 51.0 Run 63.5 (1,089 Snaps)
Contract: 1 year / $2,433,000 per year (20th at position) – Expires 2023
RT: #69 Mike McGlinchey
Age: 27 HT: 6’8 WT: 310 College: Notre Dame Draft: RD1 Pick 9
OVR PFF: 69.8 Pass: 70.0 Run: 63.8 (466 Snaps)
Contract: 1 year / $4,585,469 per year (15th at position) – Expires 2023
“Lance has the arm talent to make every NFL throw”
QB Room
#5 Trey Lance
Age: 22 HT: 6’4 WT: 226 College: North Dakota State Draft: RD1 Pick 3
Contract: 3 years / $8,526,315 per year (23rd at position) – Expires 2025 – 5th year option available
The Trey Lance era has officially begun in San Francisco. With Jimmy Garoppolo now out of the picture, Kyle Shanahan has a new toy to play with. Lance brings a strong arm and a dual-threat element to this offense that will keep defensive coordinators up at night. His rushing upside paired with his ability to make things happen off-script is going to make this offense very difficult to defend. Now Shanahan can move the pocket and create running lanes for Trey Lance while defenses will have to make quick decisions on what to defend. Lance has the arm talent to make every NFL throw which will also create more down field opportunities for multiple playmakers in this offense.
2022 Fantasy Outlook:
Passing: 468 Attempts, 63.0% Comp Rate, 3,624 Yards (7.7 YPA), 25 Touchdowns (5.4%)
Rushing: 136 Attempts, 5.2 YPC, 707 Yards, 8 Touchdowns
PROJECTIONS TEMPLATE – GET NOW!
RB Room
#25 Elijah Mitchell
Age: 24 HT: 5’10 WT: 200 College: Louisiana Draft: RD9 Pick 194
Contract: 3 years / $915,893 per year (117th at position) – Expires 2025
Elijah Mitchell was not the first running back selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2021 NFL Draft. They took Trey Sermon out of Ohio State in the third round before selecting Mitchell in the sixth. It didn’t take long for Mitchell to showcase his skillset in this outside zone scheme and earn the respect of the coaching staff. He went on to start ten games last season and totaled 963 yards rushing on 207 carries (4.7 ypc) to go along with five touchdowns. His upside is limited in the passing game as the 49ers only targeted the RB position 99 times in 2021. He did turn his 20 targets into 19 receptions for 137 yards and a touchdown. The only concern for Mitchell is Shanahan’s infamous RBBC approach and the running ability of Trey Lance that could take away red zone carries. If Mitchell gets true RB1 volume in this offense I have no doubt, he eclipses 1,000 yards rushing and could see double-digit touchdowns.
2022 Fantasy Outlook:
Receiving: 7% Target Share, 32 Targets, 23 Receptions, 161 yards (7 YPR), 1 Touchdown
Rushing: 44% Rush Share, 230 Attempts, 1,104 Yards (4.8 YPC), 9 Touchdowns
#32 Tyrion Davis-Price
Age: 21 HT: 6’1 WT: 219 College: LSU Draft: RD3 Pick 93
Contract: 4 years / $1,277,137 per year (54th at position) – Expires 2026
Tyrion Davis-Price was an interesting draft pick for the 49ers who invested two picks in the 2021 draft on Sermon and Mitchell. Not to mention, his skill set seems better utilized in a gap scheme than an outside zone scheme, but who am I to question Kyle Shanahan. His college production does not jump out at you with only 1,744 yards and 15 touchdowns in his three years at LSU. He also lacks the ability to make people miss, but he does bring a punishing style suited for short yardage and goal line situations. TDP will compete with Sermon and Jeff Wilson for the RB2 role in this offense. If he can lock that down, he will have an opportunity for meaningful touches.
2022 Fantasy Outlook:
Receiving: 4% Target Share, 19 Targets, 13 Receptions, 88 Yards (6.8 YPR), 0 Touchdowns
Rushing: 20% Rush Share, 105 Attempts, 470 Yards (4.5 YPC), 4 Touchdowns
WR Room
#19 Deebo Samuel
Age: 26 HT: 6’0 WT: 215 College: South Carolina Draft: RD 2 Pick 36
Contract: 4 years / $23,850,000 per year (8th at position) – Expires 2026
Deebo Samuel took the league by storm when he was called upon to play a dual-threat role in this offense. He spent the end of the season splitting time as a wide receiver and running back when the backfield was depleted with injuries. He finished the season with 1,405 yards receiving and another 365 yards rushing for a total of 14 touchdowns. Of his 14 touchdowns, eight came on the ground. He averaged 6.2 yards per carry out of the backfield and 18.2 yards per reception as a receiver. He finished season fourth in yards per route run (3.24), first in yards per target (11.7), 2nd in juke rate (49.4%), first in fantasy points per route run (0.78), and first in fantasy points per target (2.82). Needless to say, it came as no surprise when Deebo was named a First-Team All-Pro by the Associated Press.
2022 Fantasy Outlook:
Receiving: 25% Target Share, 116 Targets, 79 Receptions, 1,245 Yards (15.8 YPR), 10 Touchdowns
“With Lance now the QB of the future, we could see more big play opportunities down field for Aiyuk in 2022”
#11 Brandon Aiyuk
Age: 24 HT: 6’0 WT: 200 College: Arizona State Draft: RD1 Pick 25
Contract: 2 years / $3,132,838 per year (64th at position) – Expires 2024 – 5th year option available
Brandon Aiyuk enters the 2022 season as the WR2 in this offense, but the third option in the passing game behind Samuel and George Kittle. After a slow start to the 2021 season, we started to see Aiyuk’s impact in this offense throughout the second half of the season. He would finish with 84 targets, 56 receptions, 826 yards, and five touchdowns. He finished 11th in yards per target (9.7), 17th in yards per reception (14.8), seventh in juke rate (19.6%), and 19th in yards after catch (382). With Lance now the QB of the future, we could see more big play opportunities down field for Aiyuk in 2022.
2022 Fantasy Outlook:
Receiving: 20% Target Share, 93 Targets, 59 Receptions, 777 Yards (13.2 YPR), 6 Touchdowns
TE Room
#85 George Kittle
Age: 28 HT: 6’4 WT: 250 College: Iowa Draft: RD5 Pick 146
Contract: 4 years / $15,000,000 per year (1st at position) – Expires 2026
If you want the most complete tight end that’s a monster in the run game, dynamic as a receiver, and can create yards after the catch then I give you George Krieger Kittle. He is literally the complete package. The only chink in the armor is his inability to be available for a full season. He’s only played a full slate once during his five-year career dating back to 2018. In 14 games in 2021, he compiled 71 receptions on 94 targets and six touchdowns (career high). He ranked second in target share (24.9%), first in snap share (92.4%), sixth in deep targets (9), second in yards after catch (441), third in yards per route run (2.63), and second in yards per target (9.6). If Kittle can give you 17 games in 2022, it’s well within his range of outcomes to finish as the overall TE1.
2022 Fantasy Outlook:
Receiving: 19% Target Share, 88 Targets, 63 Receptions, 799 Yards (12.7 YPR), 7 Touchdowns
**Advanced Stats & Metrics provided by Yards Per Fantasy, Player Profiler, Sharp Football Analysis, Fantasy Pros, Team Rankings, Pro Football Focus, Over the Cap and Pro Football Reference**
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