I see on the ESPN site that there’s another story suggesting Blaine Gabbert will beat out Colin Kaepernick – a better fit in the offense, it seems. It doesn’t surprise me, and I see Gabbert as an intriguing last-round sleeper in fantasy leagues (though to be honest, I’ve been in a few leagues and have yet to actually select him in the last round).
Gabbert was a bust in Jacksonville, but he’s been working on his game. He showed some potential last year. Now he simply seems to have a better grasp of what the 49ers are trying to do.
The result could be some decent numbers. Gabbert averaged 254 passing yards last year in the eight games he started. That’s above-average in comparison with the 32 quarterbacks who started at least half the time.
And Chip Kelly probably will make him even better, with his aggressive offense. In part, they should run more plays than the vast majority of teams. In Philadelphia, all three of Kelly’s offenses averaged at least 268 passing yards per game.
Blaine Gabbert. Last round. Think about it. (Do as I say, not as I do.)
PASSING YARDS PER GAME, 2015 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Player | St | Pass | TD | Int |
Drew Brees, N.O. | 15 | 325 | 32 | 11 |
Ben Roethlisberger, Pitt. | 11 | 324 | 18 | 15 |
Philip Rivers, S.D. | 16 | 300 | 29 | 13 |
Tom Brady, N.E. | 16 | 298 | 36 | 7 |
Carson Palmer, Ariz. | 16 | 292 | 35 | 11 |
Matt Ryan, Atl. | 16 | 287 | 21 | 16 |
Joe Flacco, Balt. | 10 | 279 | 14 | 12 |
Eli Manning, NYG | 16 | 277 | 35 | 14 |
Blake Bortles, Jac. | 16 | 277 | 35 | 18 |
Matthew Stafford, Det. | 16 | 266 | 32 | 13 |
Sam Bradford, Phil. | 14 | 266 | 19 | 14 |
Josh McCown, Clev. | 8 | 264 | 12 | 4 |
Ryan Tannehill, Mia. | 16 | 263 | 24 | 12 |
Kirk Cousins, Wash. | 16 | 260 | 29 | 11 |
Blaine Gabbert, S.F. | 8 | 254 | 10 | 7 |
Jameis Winston, T.B. | 16 | 253 | 22 | 15 |
Russell Wilson, Sea. | 16 | 252 | 34 | 8 |
Andy Dalton, Cin. | 13 | 250 | 25 | 7 |
Peyton Manning, Den. | 9 | 250 | 9 | 17 |
Derek Carr, Oak. | 16 | 249 | 32 | 13 |
Ryan Fitzpatrick, NYJ | 16 | 244 | 31 | 15 |
Jay Cutler, Chi. | 15 | 244 | 21 | 11 |
Cam Newton, Car. | 16 | 240 | 35 | 10 |
Aaron Rodgers, G.B. | 16 | 239 | 31 | 8 |
Brian Hoyer, Hou. | 10 | 237 | 17 | 7 |
Marcus Mariota, Tenn. | 12 | 235 | 19 | 10 |
Alex Smith, K.C. | 16 | 218 | 20 | 7 |
Tyrod Taylor, Buff. | 14 | 217 | 20 | 6 |
Matt Hasselbeck, Ind. | 8 | 211 | 9 | 5 |
Teddy Bridgewater, Minn. | 16 | 202 | 14 | 9 |
Colin Kaepernick, S.F. | 8 | 202 | 6 | 5 |
Nick Foles, St.L. | 11 | 187 | 7 | 10 |
—Ian Allan