X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Brian Hoyer (QB, SF) - 2017 Fantasy Football Sleeper

Steve Rebeiro explains why San Francisco quarterback (QB) Brian Hoyer may flourish as a fantasy option with the 49ers. He could be a sleeper according to ADP.

The San Francisco 49ers have gone into a full rebuild. They've purged their roster of last years quarterbacks and brought in a new regime with General Manager John Lynch and Head Coach Kyle Shanahan. Shanahan brought with him a quarterback from his year in Cleveland to be the starter, journeyman Brian Hoyer.

Lets be clear about something: Brian Hoyer isn't a great quarterback. He might not even be a good one. But experienced fantasy players know that you don't have to be good to put up points. Brian Hoyer is going to fall into that category this season.

He may be an afterthought in re-draft leagues, but there's a lot to like here from a fantasy standpoint, believe it or not. Let me explain exactly why Brian Hoyer figures to be a fantasy football sleeper in 2017.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Reasons to own Hoyer in 2017

Kyle Shanahan

Kyle Shanahan is a quarterback whisperer. He sent Matt Schaub to a Pro Bowl. He made Robert Griffin III the Rookie of the Year. He turned Matt Ryan into an MVP. Most importantly, he made Brian Hoyer look like a viable starting quarterback.

Shanahan knows how to make an offense work. He's led top five offenses for three different teams. Even though the 49ers offense is one of the least talented groups in the league, you have to bet on Shanahan to make something work here. He's just too good of an offensive mind to not find a way for this group to be productive.

Schaub and Ryan had the best years of their careers under Shanahan. RG3 only ever looked like a viable NFL quarterback under Shanahan. It isn't unrealistic to expect him to make Hoyer look like a starting caliber quarterback in the NFL. He's going to get plenty of chances.

There are a few more weapons here to play with than you would think. Carlos Hyde is the obvious one. As the best player on the offense, defenses will be focusing on Hyde and relieving the coverage for Hoyer and the passing game. The 49ers also added Pierre Garcon at receiver, who is a Shanahan favorite from his days in Washington. They have another weapon in tight end Vance McDonald.

While they don't necessarily have the talent to compete, they do have the talent to put together some productive offense. And even in games where they're getting blown out, this doesn't mean that Hoyer's stats will be doomed. In fact, they'll likely improve from a fantasy perspective thanks to...

 

Garbage Time

Sweet, sweet garbage time. There's a reason a quarterback like Blake Bortles has been a top-10 fantasy quarterback in back-to-back years. It certainly isn't because he's a talented quarterback. It's because of a vast quantity of garbage time. Hoyer figures to play a similar role to what Bortles has the last couple of years, which actually bodes well for his fantasy value.

Bortles managed to finish fourth overall in quarterback scoring in 2015 and eighth in 2016 despite playing on an abysmal Jacksonville team. His best game of the year was a result of three second half touchdowns after the Jags were down 27-0 against the Titans. He tossed two touchdowns late in a blowout loss to the Chargers early in the season. Quarterbacks on bad teams tend to rack up late game points quite often.

The 49ers are bad. Their defense was historically bad last season, giving up the most points, total yards, and rushing yards per game last season. In fact, they allowed the most rushing yards per game in a season since the 2010 Buffalo Bills. The new regime will move the team in the right direction, but this isn't an overnight fix.

Bad teams play from behind a lot. When you play from behind, the best option for quick scoring is by airing it out. Shanahan likes to air out the ball and the 49ers will be playing from behind a ton this year. Hoyer is going to get plenty of time to pad the stats, which is great for fantasy owners.

A great coach packaged with a lot of garbage time potential is not a reason to make a guy your starter by any means. But for a backup? Especially in a deeper league? A guy like Hoyer with these two factors is a perfect fit on any fantasy roster.

Hoyer is a deep sleeper for 2017. He's a guy you should target in the late rounds of a deeper league draft as your backup quarterback, especially if you have an established starter. In MFL10 leagues, he's absolutely worth a shot as your backup QB. He's the kind of guy you can throw out there and expect to get you some points, whether he plays bad or not. It won't be for a lack of opportunity.

 

More Sleepers & Draft Values


Check out RotoBaller's famous fantasy football draft sleepers and waiver wire pickups list, updated regularly!




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Griffin Conine

To Have Shoulder Surgery On Tuesday
Luke Keaschall

Twins Prospect Luke Keaschall Suffers Broken Forearm
Logan Gilbert

Leaves Friday's Start With Forearm Tightness

Vikings Select Tai Felton To Finish Day 2

Seahawks Select Quarterback Jalen Milroe With The 92nd Pick Overall

Browns Select Dillon Gabriel 94th Overall

Packers Pick Savion Williams At No. 87 overall

Steelers Snag Kaleb Johnson In Round 3

Broncos Select Wide Receiver Pat Bryant With The 74th Overall Pick

Texans Select Jaylin Noel With 79th Pick

Lions Select Wide Receiver Isaac TeSlaa With The 70th Overall Pick
Jack Leiter

To Start On Sunday

Patriots Add Wide Receiver Kyle Williams In Round 3

Browns Draft Harold Fannin Jr. With 67th Pick
Garrett Mitchell

Makes Early Exit
Luke Keaschall

Removed Early On Friday
Blake Snell

Likely Avoids Major Injury
Cole Ragans

Dealing With Mild Groin Strain

Broncos Add RJ Harvey To Backfield With 60th Pick

Raiders Select Jack Bech With 58th Pick

Chargers Add Wide Receiver Tre Harris In Round 2
Detroit Lions

Lions Acquire 57th Pick From Broncos

Seahawks Draft Elijah Arroyo 50th Overall
Carolina Panthers

Panthers Acquire 51st Pick From Broncos
Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals Snag Will Johnson At No. 47

Jets Add A Pass-Catcher With Mason Taylor At No. 42

Rams Select Terrance Ferguson With 46th Pick
Houston Texans

Texans Acquire 48th Pick From Raiders, Draft Aireontae Ersery

Saints Snag Tyler Shough At No. 40
Brenton Doyle

Out For Personal Reasons On Friday
Brandin Podziemski

Not On Injury Report For Game 3
Jimmy Butler III

Warriors Optimistic About Jimmy Butler III Playing Saturday
Jae'Sean Tate

To Remain Out Saturday
Jock Landale

Unavailable For Game 3
Terry Rozier

Out On Saturday
Jrue Holiday

Ruled Out For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Orlando
Kevin Love

To Miss Saturday's Game
Jaylen Brown

Available For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Magic
Gary Payton II

Iffy For Saturday's Action
Jayson Tatum

Officially Available On Friday For Game 3 Against Magic
Will Smith

Back From Injury On Friday
Luke Kennard

Questionable For Game 4 On Saturday
Darius Garland

Listed As Questionable For Game 3
Ja Morant

To Miss Game 4 On Saturday
Rui Hachimura

Available For Game 3 In Minnesota
Aaron Ekblad

Available To Return Saturday
Erik Swanson

Ryan Burr Progressing
Daulton Varsho

To Return On Tuesday At The Latest
Max Scherzer

Takes Positive Step On Friday
Aleksander Barkov

Questionable For Saturday
Gabriel Landeskog

Set For Larger Role In Game 4
Calvin Pickard

To Start Game 3 For Oilers
Randy Arozarena

Resting For First Time This Year
Jonas Siegenthaler

To Play Limited Minutes In Game 3
MLB

Red Sox-Guardians Game Postponed On Friday
Luke Hughes

Remains Out On Friday
MLB

Tigers-Orioles Postponed On Friday
Patrik Laine

A Game-Time Decision Friday
Yainer Diaz

Out On Friday Against Royals
Iván Herrera

Ivan Herrera Hopes To Start Rehab Assignment Next Week
Salvador Perez

Sitting Out For First Time This Season
Jaylen Brown

Questionable For Game 3 On Friday
Brendan Donovan

Back In Action On Friday
Jimmy Butler III

Could Miss Game 3 On Saturday
Coby Mayo

Getting On A Roll At Triple-A
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Cade Cunningham

Collects Double-Double In Loss
Jalen Brunson

Drops 30 Points In Game 3
Karl-Anthony Towns

Leads All Scorers In Game 3 Victory
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
Nicolas Dalby

An Underdog At UFC Kansas City
Randy Brown

A Favorite At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Set To Open Up UFC Kansas City Main Card
Ikram Aliskerov

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Sergei Bobrovsky

Shuts Out Lightning In Game 2
Cam Fowler

Finishes Thursday's Win With Five Points
Robert Thomas

Posts Four Assists In Game 3 Win
Pavel Buchnevich

Celebrates Hat Trick During Four-Point Performance
Dylan DeMelo

Battling An Illness
Marcus Johansson

Exits Early Thursday
Aleksander Barkov

Hurt In Game 2
Jrue Holiday

Tagged As Questionable For Friday
Jayson Tatum

Likely Out Again On Friday
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go Thursday
Andrei Vasilevskiy

Looks To Bounce Back In Game 2
Rasmus Ristolainen

To Miss Training Camp
Jonas Siegenthaler

Returns To Practice
Aliaksei Protas

Traveling With Capitals
Gabriel Vilardi

Still Out On Thursday
Max Pacioretty

Set To Join Maple Leafs Lineup For Game 3
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Andrew Novak

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF