Quinton Patton Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

Patton has now officially been placed on IR, leaving the 49ers very shorthanded at the WR spot. Torrey Smith is still dealing with a concussion, so Jeremy Kerley, Rod Streater and Chris Harper as the only healthy WRs in addition to the recently added DeAndre Smelter. Kerley still figures to lead this group in targets each week, with Streater and Harper slotting in behind him. None of the 49ers wideouts are recommended DFS targets this weekend, but Kerley figures to be the best bet among the group.

Patton was forced out of Sunday's game with the Falcons after injuring his foot. It appears to be a serious enough injury to keep him out the rest of the season. Jeremy Kerley should pick up a lot of targets on Saturday, especially if Torrey Smith (concussion) doesn't return. He's a potential tournament play but not a great one; it's hard to trust him anyone in the 49ers offense. They have an implied total of 18.5 points against the Rams in Week 16.

Patton is taking part in the San Francisco practice today in a blue jersey; an indication that he has been cleared for non-contact activity while in the concussion protocol. It's a step in the right direction for the WR as the team prepares to face a Bears team that is 14th in Pass DVOA. There are better options out there than unreliable 49ers receiving threats like Patton.

Patton is dealing with a concussion that was suffered this past weekend in Miami. It's unclear if the 49ers expect him to return this weekend or not, but he'll have to pass through the league's concussion protocol nonetheless. Outside of Vance McDonald, none of the 49ers pass-catchers are seeing consistent looks from Colin Kaepernick, so this unit is best left untouched on a full slate. Patton was seeing the most volume among the receivers before exiting early in Week 12, and his potential absence would bode well for guys like Torrey Smith and Rod Streater, but it's not enough to make either a recommended value play.

Smith (shoulder) is not going to be able to suit up today against the Patriots. He hasn't really been much of a factor this season, and has only averaged 3.0 targets per game over the past three. Quinton Patton has emerged as Colin Kaepernick's favorite receiver; he's led the team in targets in three of the past four weeks. The 49ers are 12-point underdogs, so they should be throwing quite a bit today. Patton is worth consideration in tournaments.

Kerley wasn't even with the team at the beginning of camp, but may end up being Blaine Gabbert's most heavily utilized pass-catcher considering that he roams out of the slot. It's an area of the field where Gabbert appears to be far and away the most comfortable delivering the ball, and the 49ers had plenty of success on plays where Kerley was the intended target - he was also overthrown on what should have been an easy 40+ yard TD, so his line could have been much, much bigger. Given Chip Kelly's style of playing up-tempo, the 49ers will run plenty of plays each game and it's not out of the realm of possibility to expect Kerley to receive somewhere around ten looks per game in the near future. Torrey Smith was targeted six times, although he was able to do very little (2-13) with his chances, while Quinton Patton caught all of his five targets for 60 yards. Kerley will likely only see the field in 3 WR sets - he played on 54 of 82 offensive snaps last night - but he's going to be targeted often when he's out there. He's still priced at the minimum on most DFS outlets, so he'll be one of the stronger DFS value plays in PPR formats in Week 2.