San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance suffered what looked like a gruesome leg injury in Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Lance was carted off the field with an injury that could potentially, and unfortunately, require a long recovery.
With Lance likely out for an extended period of time, now backup, and former starter, Jimmy Garoppolo, is under center again for the 49ers.
It was a TMZ-esque offseason for San Francisco and Garoppolo as the 49ers reportedly tried to trade away Jimmy G. with Lance ready to take over as the starting quarterback.
That strategy ultimately didn't work out as San Francisco signed Garoppolo to a lucrative contract that paid him very well to be its backup this season, but also allowed Jimmy G. to hit free agency ahead of the 2023 regular season.
And as unpleasant as it is, our job is to react to player news, including injuries, with an NFL betting and fantasy football lens, so we tapped the Action Network's Sean Koerner for how Garoppolo affects the 49ers in the near future.
Jimmy Garoppolo NFL Betting Analysis
According to Koerner, while Lance has a very high ceiling and could be the future for the 49ers, Garoppolo still give San Francisco the best chance to win right now.
Per Koerner's in-depth quarterback ratings, Garoppolo is actually worth a full point to the spread more than Lance, meaning that the 49ers are actually a better team with Jimmy G. under center.
Action Labs' Bet Labs software shows that Garoppolo has been profitable for NFL bettors during his tenure in San Francisco, going 24-20-1 (54.5%) against the spread since landing with the 49ers in 2017.
Jimmy Garoppolo Fantasy Football Analysis
From a fantasy football perspective, Koerner says Garoppolo taking over is an upgrade for the San Francisco pass game, noting it helps Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk.
Koerner mentioned the upgrade to Aiyuk slightly less because Garoppolo isn't necessarily a prolific downfield passer, while we still aren't sure how much of an upgrade Lance could be.
