2020 Summer Sleeper: San Francisco 49ers
In our annual 32-part Summer Sleeper series, DLF scribes identify a lightly-touted player on each NFL roster who may be worthy of your consideration. Our subjects all have varying levels of “sleeperness,” but each merits a bit of in-depth discussion here in the Premium Content section.
To help everybody along, we are going to be categorizing our sleepers under one of three headings:
Super Deep Sleepers – Players who aren’t roster-worthy in 12-team leagues, but are still worth keeping an eye on.
Deep Sleepers – An end of the roster player who is more often than not on the waiver wire in 12-team leagues.
Sleeper – A likely rostered player who makes for a good trade target. Their startup ADP puts them out of the top-175 or so.
Because we aren’t going to give you the likes of mainstream sleepers, most of these players will undoubtedly fizzle. All we are asking is for you to keep an open mind and perhaps be willing to make room for one of these players on your bench. You never know when the next Adam Thielen is going to spring up. Feel free to add your own thoughts about our choice for the designated sleeper, or nominate one of your own in the comments below.
The San Francisco 49ers — NFC Champions and the personal favorite of yours truly — had a tremendous season last year, posting a 13-3 record and taking a division by stopping the Seattle Seahawks just inches shy of the goal line in the waning seconds of the final game of the regular season. This team is looking to rebound after blowing a ten-point lead in the fourth quarter to lose the Super Bowl.
Things mostly stayed the same in the off-season for the 49ers. Left tackle Joe Staley retired, but the 49ers managed to replace him with a trade to the Washington Football Team in exchange for Trent Williams, who will fill in immediately at one of the tackle positions.
The team traded away defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the Colts for a first-round pick. This position was immediately filled by the selection of stand-out DT Javon Kinlaw out of South Carolina with said pick. The defensive unit looks to regain its supremacy in 2020.
They lost Emmanuel Sanders to free agency, and perhaps even Deebo Samuel for some of the early part of the season due to a broken foot he suffered while training back in mid-June. These two players were keystone receivers for the 2019 season. This leads me to announce who I feel is the best value prior to the start of the 2020 campaign…
Jalen Hurd, WR
Category: Sleeper
The 49ers drafted Hurd in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft. This 6’3” 230-pound monster was so versatile in college that he used to run tailback for the University of Tennessee, before he transferred to Baylor for his senior season. Hurd rushed for just under 3,000 yards and 23 touchdowns, while also contributing through the air tallying 69 catches for just under 1,000 yards as a receiver his senior year.
The 49ers have quietly been assembling a specific type of receiver over the last few years. Both John Lynch as general manager and Kyle Shanahan as head coach desire players who can be versatile on the field, and generate yards after the catch (YAC) when the ball is in their hands.
The 49ers ranked sixth in the league in total YAC last year, despite ranking near the bottom (22nd) in receptions. Deebo Samuel led the 49ers and was second in the NFL in YAC+, a statistic compiled by Football Outsiders. Let us also not forget that George Kittle led the league in yards after the catch on-route to his record-breaking season in 2018.
In 2019, the duo of Sanders and Samuel netted 107 total touches, and Sanders wasn’t even a part of the offense until week eight. If Samuel is unable to go week one, the 49ers will be looking to replace roughly six touches per game for someone in the wide receiver corps.
Enter Jalen Hurd. This untested 2019 rookie has long been forgotten due to the stress fracture he suffered in his back in the preseason last year. He’s fully healthy this year, and is expected to compete with touches vs undrafted WR Kendrick Bourne. Given the draft capital spent, versatility, size and talent, I fully expect Hurd to win this battle and generate immediate playtime on the field, whether or not Samuel is back in the lineup.
One ringing endorsement for Hurd comes in the form of widely heralded Peter King, who makes a yearly pilgrimage to multiple cities to get a glimpse of NFL teams during training camp. Upon watching the 49ers practice and not focusing on any one player in particular, Peter King stated:
“I walked out of that camp, and we got in the car to go to the next place,” he said on “The Peter King Podcast” to 49ers general manager John Lynch, “and the two women I was traveling with said, ‘Well, what was your impression?’ I said, ‘We just saw the 2019 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.’ [Hurd] is going to come out of nowhere. He’s going to be fantastic.” (Source)
Hurd is currently being drafted 195th in startups, and our rankers have him at 196 overall. Here are some trades that have happened to acquire Hurd over the past few weeks:
If you are looking to acquire a possible wide receiver breakout on the cheap, may I recommend a former running back whose versatility is valued on a team that has one of the best offensive minds in football, who puts players in position to be successful via YAC. Jalen Hurd will be a great sleeper candidate for the 2020 season, and I am willing to put my entire reputation on it.
- 2023 Dynasty Riser, Faller and Longshot Predictions: San Francisco 49ers - July 28, 2023
- The Dynasty Value of Trading a 2023 Rookie Pick for a 2024 Pick - May 19, 2023
- How and Where to Pick Running Backs - May 15, 2023
