The San Francisco 49ers don't yet know who will start at quarterback this season as they weigh the choice between Blaine Gabbert and Colin Kaepernick. Coach Chip Kelly has said repeatedly that it's good to have options because of the possibility of injury. The same is true of ineffectiveness, which means drafting either quarterback comes with a lot of uncertainty and you should probably turn your attention elsewhere unless you play in a deeper league.
Blaine Gabbert
ESPN Fantasy Projection: 2,751 yards, 14 TDs
Over or under: I'll go with the over on yards and the under on touchdowns. If Gabbert starts the entire season, he should be able to go over both numbers, but that's a fairly big if. It's still early in preseason but barring injury, it seems Gabbert has the inside track on the starting job. But if he struggles, it's always possible that he could be replaced. And if that happens, it throws those numbers into flux. Gabbert played eight games last year and threw for 2,031 yards and seven touchdowns. So even if that number of games increases to the 10 to 12 range, he should be able to hit the over on yards.
Colin Kaepernick
ESPN Fantasy Projection: 935 yards, 5 TDs
Over or under: Let's reverse it for this one and go with the under on yards and the over on touchdowns. Even if Kaepernick doesn't win the starting job, it's likely he's going to play at some point this year. And it's not out of the realm of possibility that Kelly will install some things in the offense for Kaepernick even if he comes off the bench. Kaepernick threw for six touchdowns a year ago, but he's still a threat in the run game and he could add some value that way, especially in Kelly's offense. Regardless, drafting either quarterback comes with inherent risk.
Who else could see time: Rookie Jeff Driskel has had some good moments in training camp and is competing with Thad Lewis for a potential No. 3 job. The Niners probably don't expect the winner of that competition to play much, if at all, in 2016. If they do, Lewis at least has experience in Kelly's offense while Driskel has upside, but probably not this season.
