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

Dante Pettis - Rookie Recap / Dynasty Outlook

Here at RotoBaller, we're looking back at the seasons from some of the league's under-the-radar rookies and discussing their future in dynasty leagues. Today, I'm looking at 49ers wide receiver Dante Pettis.

Pettis entered his rookie season third on the 49ers depth chart, but injuries and other issues helped him rise to the top of the team's pecking order before another knee issue ended his season early. Pettis should be one of Jimmy Garoppolo's go-to weapons during the 2019 season.

Let's take a look at some of Pettis's numbers from his rookie year, at how the other options in San Francisco affect his role next year, and at what we can expect from him in terms of fantasy production moving forward.

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

 

Profile

Team: San Francisco 49ers
College: Washington
Height/Weight: 6'1'', 195 lbs
2018 NFL Draft: Round 2, 44th overall

 

Dante Pettis's Rookie Campaign

I did a film study of Pettis after Week 13 if you want a more in-depth look at Pettis's background, but here are a few thoughts on his rookie campaign:

Pettis finished the 2018 season with 27 catches for 467 yards and five touchdowns, with the majority of that production coming over a four-game stretch later in the season, with Pettis accounting for 17 receptions, 338 yards, and four touchdowns over that stretch. Pettis had a snap share of over 90 percent in three of those four games, and it dropped to just 84.7 percent in the other one. His other strong game of the year, when he caught two passes for 61 yards and a score, came in Week 1, when he was on the field for 72.7 percent of San Francisco's snaps.

What's that all mean? With one exception (Week 2), Pettis produced consistently when he saw the field consistently, and he produced strong numbers on a per play basis. Per PlayerProfilerPettis ranked fifth among receivers in yards per reception, ninth in yards per target, first in target separation, and seventh in fantasy points per target. Pettis showed the speed and the ability to get separation from the defense that you need to see from a good NFL receiver. We can question how sustainable that is moving forward, but for now the tape we have on Pettis suggests that he has the upside of being a very good player.

There's also the fact that Pettis did this all with Nick Mullens at quarterback. I have nothing against Mullens, who put up some gutsy efforts, but he isn't the right quarterback for Pettis. Mullens ranked just 25th in deep ball completion percentage at 31.6 percent. Jimmy Garoppolo was completing half of his deep throws before his season-ending injury. If those two can hook up deep next year? Ooh, ooh, ooh!

Also, because this seems like the best place in this article to do this, I'd like you to go back and watch Pettis on this long touchdown reception:

Does a good job in his route here to get open, and then has the foot speed to get past the defenders and head for pay dirt.

 

San Francisco's Other Weapons

The 49ers released one of the big barriers to Pettis excelling next year when they moved on from Pierre Garcon earlier this month, which means Pettis only has two big names to beat out for targets and playing time: wide receiver Marquise Goodwin and tight end George Kittle.

Let's start with Goodwin. He's one of the NFL's fastest players (as in, ranked in the 100th percentile among receivers in the 40-yard dash) and in 11 games last season he showcased that by finishing sixth in yards per reception and was fifth in average target separation. In 2017, he was fifth in the NFL in air yards -- quarterbacks know that throwing deep to Goodwin is a great way to make something happen. If Goodwin can re-establish himself as the team's deep threat, there should be room left underneath for Pettis to make plays, but he could limit how often Pettis is looked at deep down the field.

Meanwhile, Kittle established himself as one of the NFL's top tight ends last year. He finished 14th in the NFL in receptions, 15th in targets, and eighth in yards, but his five touchdowns left him in a tie for 40th (with Pettis!). There's some disconnect there between how Kittle was used on the field versus how he was used specifically in the red zone. Of his 136 targets, just 18 (13.2 percent) came inside the 20 and six (4.4 percent) inside the 10. For comparison, two tight ends received more targets than Kittle: Zach Ertz and Travis Kelce. Ertz was targeted 156 times, with 27 (17.3 percent) of them coming inside the 20 and eight (5.1 percent) of them inside the 10. Kelce was targeted 150 times, with 24 (16 percent) inside the 20 and 11 (7.3 percent) inside the 10. It's not a huge disparity, but Kittle does see a little more of his usage outside of the red zone than other tight ends, and that kind of usage could take a little away from Pettis.

The other name to remember is Kendrick Bourne, but I see Bourne as more of a number-three guy for the Niners. Bourne saw a target share of over 90 percent three times, but one of those games was when Pettis was still working his way back after a knee injury, and the other two came in the season's finale two games -- Pettis missed one of those and left early in the other. Bourne's an intriguing player who can do a lot in the short passing game, he's not really a big threat to Pettis.

 

The Fantasy Future

In my first run-through of my dynasty rankings for this year, I've got Pettis at 71 in my dynasty rankings. I haven't even thought about re-draft rankings, but I'd probably have him a little lower there.

Pettis showed a lot of promise this season, and I see him as San Francisco's top receiver down the line, but Goodwin's presence, for now, limits his immediate upside. As long as Jimmy Garoppolo is healthy and the 49ers are in a position to compete for a playoff bid, I see Goodwin having a sizable portion of the team's usage from the receiver position. Looking through coach Kyle Shanahan's coaching history over at FFStatistics, there's only been one season in which Shanahan, as either a head coach or an offensive coordinator, had his WR2 finish in the top 40 and just two in which they finished in the top 50. Shanahan has also rarely had a tight end that put up numbers even close to what Kittle did last season. There could be a lot of mouths to feed in 2019, and that caps some of what Pettis can do.

Still, the talent is there for Pettis, and he's got the ability to be a more versatile receiver than Goodwin is. It wouldn't shock me to see Pettis go into next season as the team's top receiver, and if that's the case then I can see him finishing as a top-30 fantasy receiver.

Also important from a dynasty point-of-view? He's just now entering his second year, and there's a lot of room for Pettis to grow. I love his long term fantasy potential and made sure to grab as many shares of Pettis as I could last season. His 2018 promise is a great sign of what his future production could look like.




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

Mark Andrews17 mins ago

Ravens Expect Mark Andrews Back In 2025
Lamar Jackson22 mins ago

Ravens Have Had Early Extension Talks With Lamar Jackson
Christopher Bell53 mins ago

Powers His Way To A Second-Place Finish At Martinsville
Chase Elliott1 hour ago

Strong Martinsville Performance Ends With A Top-Five Finish
Kyle Larson1 hour ago

Collects A Top-Five Finish At Martinsville
William Byron2 hours ago

Places 22nd After Struggles At Martinsville
Nick Kurtz2 hours ago

Enjoying Hot Start At Triple-A
Joey Logano2 hours ago

Claims His First 2025 Top-10 Finish After Up-And-Down Performance
Coby Mayo2 hours ago

Goes Deep On Sunday
Chase Dollander2 hours ago

Strikes Out Five In Triple-A Debut
Dylan Carlson2 hours ago

Colton Cowser Placed On 10-Day Injured List, Dylan Carlson Recalled
Julio Rodríguez2 hours ago

Julio Rodriguez Goes Yard On Sunday
Tyler Reddick2 hours ago

Fails To Place In The Top 10 At Martinsville
Brandon Sproat2 hours ago

Stumbles In Season Debut
Roman Anthony3 hours ago

Goes Deep Twice On Sunday
Chris Bassitt3 hours ago

Excellent On Sunday Against The Orioles
Bryan Woo3 hours ago

Records His First Win On Sunday
JP Sears3 hours ago

Fans Seven In His First Start Of The Year
Kyle Manzardo3 hours ago

Goes Deep Again
Joseph Woll6 hours ago

Stands Tall On Sunday
UTA6 hours ago

Alex Kerfoot Leads The Way In Sunday's Victory
Tristan Jarry6 hours ago

Shuts The Door On Ottawa On Sunday
Sebastian Aho6 hours ago

Busy In Sunday's Victory
Anze Kopitar6 hours ago

Tallies Three Helpers On Sunday
Troy Terry6 hours ago

Exits Early On Sunday
Denny Hamlin7 hours ago

Silences Doubters After Crew-Chief Change
Ty Gibbs8 hours ago

Earns Best 2025 Finish At Martinsville Despite Failing Cool Suit
Ross Chastain8 hours ago

Has A Great Day At Martinsville
Chase Briscoe8 hours ago

Has Solid Run At Martinsville
Erik Jones8 hours ago

Disqualified At Martinsville For Weight Violation
Tanner Bibee14 hours ago

Throws 5 2/3 Shutout Frames
Daniel Schneemann14 hours ago

Homers, Draws Three Walks
Wilyer Abreu15 hours ago

Draws Three Walks
Aaron Judge15 hours ago

Goes Deep Again
Isaiah Hartenstein15 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Monday
Jaylin Williams15 hours ago

Could Miss Monday's Game
Jazz Chisholm Jr.15 hours ago

Jazz Chisholm Blasts Two More Homers
Chet Holmgren15 hours ago

Uncertain For Monday
Jonathan India15 hours ago

Hit In Head By Pitch
Jonathan Kuminga15 hours ago

Won't Return On Sunday
LeBron James15 hours ago

Expected To Suit Up Monday
Zach Wilson17 hours ago

Still Views Himself As A Starter
New York Giants17 hours ago

Victor Dimukeje Signs With Giants
Dallas Cowboys17 hours ago

Brian Schottenheimer Optimistic About Deal With Micah Parsons
Tyler Soderstrom18 hours ago

Hits Another Homer
Luke Jackson18 hours ago

Records Second Save
Jacob deGrom18 hours ago

Throws Five Scoreless Innings
Nathaniel Lowe18 hours ago

Collects Three Hits
Lane Hutson19 hours ago

Continues Special Campaign With Hat Trick Of Assists
Trae Young19 hours ago

Playing Versus Milwaukee
Anfernee Simons19 hours ago

Cleared For Action Versus The Knicks
Giannis Antetokounmpo19 hours ago

Available On Sunday Night
Nick Suzuki19 hours ago

Notches Three Points In Sunday's Win
Robby Fabbri19 hours ago

Not Expected To Return This Season
Jacob Trouba19 hours ago

Could Be An Option Sunday
Jalen Brunson19 hours ago

Cleared For Basketball Activities
Jordan Staal19 hours ago

Will Not Play On Sunday
Jerami Grant20 hours ago

Out Again On Sunday
Evgeni Malkin20 hours ago

Out Against Senators
Tobias Harris20 hours ago

Probable Versus Minnesota
Justin Fields20 hours ago

Aaron Glenn Thinks Justin Fields Is Ready To Break Out
Dennis Schröder20 hours ago

Dennis Schroder Expected To Face The Timberwolves
Cade Cunningham20 hours ago

Doubtful For Sunday Night
Mark Williams20 hours ago

Ruled Out Versus The Pels
Dak Prescott21 hours ago

"Doing Great" In Rehab From Hamstring Surgery
Jacksonville Jaguars21 hours ago

Fred Johnson Signs With Jacksonville
Tennessee Titans21 hours ago

Titans Still Entertaining Calls For No. 1 Overall Pick
Karel Vejmelka22 hours ago

Makes 17th Consecutive Start Sunday
Arvid Soderblom22 hours ago

Tries To End Four-Game Skid Sunday
Alec Martinez22 hours ago

Misses Fourth Consecutive Game
Robert Bortuzzo22 hours ago

Activated From Injured Reserve
Olli Määttä22 hours ago

Olli Maatta Considered A Game-Time Call Sunday
Logan Thompson23 hours ago

Starts Against Sabres Sunday
Rasmus Dahlin23 hours ago

A Game-Time Call Sunday
Cameron Payne23 hours ago

Ruled Out On Sunday
Miles McBride23 hours ago

Remains Out On Sunday
Scoot Henderson23 hours ago

Out On Sunday
Brandon Aiyuk23 hours ago

Deadline Coming For Brandon Aiyuk
Anfernee Simons23 hours ago

May Miss Sunday's Game
Ty Jerome24 hours ago

Out Again On Sunday
Kawhi Leonard24 hours ago

Sitting On Sunday Afternoon
Josh Berry1 day ago

Has Top-10 Upside At Martinsville
Joey Logano1 day ago

Don't Overlook Joey Logano This Weekend
Ryan Preece1 day ago

Could Get First Three-Race Top-10 Streak Of His Career
Chase Elliott1 day ago

Looking To Continue Great Runs At Martinsville
Christopher Bell1 day ago

Wins Pole At Martinsville, But Can He Stay Up There?
Ryan Blaney1 day ago

Fast In Practice But Skeptical About Car
Leon Draisaitl1 day ago

Leads The Way In Return
Artemi Panarin1 day ago

Scores Twice On Saturday
Denny Hamlin1 day ago

New Crew Chief Has Terrible Martinsville Record
Austin Cindric1 day ago

Martinsville Is Austin Cindric's Best Short Track
Kyle Busch1 day ago

Short-Track Performance At Richard Childress Racing Is Pretty Dire
Brad Keselowski1 day ago

If Brad Keselowski Has Any Speed Whatsoever, He's A Killer DFS Option
Dereck Lively II2 days ago

Ruled Out Versus Chicago
Chicago Bears2 days ago

Doug Kramer Jr. Re-Signs With Chicago
Washington Commanders2 days ago

Foster Sarell Inks One-Year Contract With Washington
Miami Dolphins2 days ago

Willie Gay Jr. Heading To Miami
Seattle Seahawks2 days ago

D'Anthony Bell Signs With Seattle
Houston Texans2 days ago

Texans Sign E.J. Speed To One-Year Deal
Buffalo Bills2 days ago

Bills, Christian Benford Reach Agreement On Four-Year Extension
Detroit Lions3 days ago

Lions Re-Sign Kayode Awosika
Irvin Charles3 days ago

Jets Re-Sign Irvin Charles
Green Bay Packers3 days ago

Kristian Welch Signs With Green Bay
Pittsburgh Steelers3 days ago

Jeremiah Moon Heading To Pittsburgh
Teagan Quitoriano3 days ago

Falcons Sign Teagan Quitoriano
Steve Erceg3 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Brandon Moreno3 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres3 days ago

Set For Co-Main Event
Drew Dober3 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Mexico City
Joe Pyfer3 days ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kelvin Gastelum3 days ago

Set For Middleweight Matchup
Vince Morales3 days ago

In Dire Need Of Victory
Raul Rosas Jr.3 days ago

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Saimon Oliveira3 days ago

Looks For His First UFC Win
David Martinez3 days ago

Set To Make His UFC Debut
Kevin Borjas3 days ago

Set To Open Up UFC Mexico City Main Card
Ronaldo Rodríguez3 days ago

Ronaldo Rodriguez Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Jhonattan Vegas5 days ago

Not A Good Play At Houston Open
Gary Woodland5 days ago

A Dark-Horse Candidate At Houston Open
Nick Taylor5 days ago

Keep An Eye On Nick Taylor At Houston Open
Mackenzie Hughes5 days ago

Avoid Mackenzie Hughes At Houston Open
Nicolai Hojgaard5 days ago

Looking To Rebound At Houston Open
Scottie Scheffler5 days ago

Returns To Houston Looking For Year's First Victory
Rory McIlroy5 days ago

Making Additional Start At Houston Open To Prepare For Augusta
Doug Ghim5 days ago

Looking For Iron Form In Houston
Aaron Rai5 days ago

Keep An Eye On Aaron Rai At Houston Open
Si Woo Kim5 days ago

Looks To Build On Recent History At Memorial Park
Harry Hall5 days ago

Looking For Consistency At Texas Children’s Houston Open
Harris English5 days ago

Looking To Build Off Solid Finish At The PLAYERS
Sahith Theegala5 days ago

A Risky Option At Texas Children’s Houston Open
Alex Smalley6 days ago

A Strong Play At Texas Children’s Houston Open
Michael Kim6 days ago

Bounces Back At Valspar Championship
PGA6 days ago

Sungjae Im Looking For Bounce-Back Performance At Texas Children’s Houston Open
Austin Eckroat6 days ago

A Player To Avoid At Texas Children's Houston Open
PGA6 days ago

Nico Echavarria A Volatile Option At Texas Children's Houston Open
Joe Highsmith6 days ago

Continues Post-Win Success And Is Looking For More In Houston
Adam Hadwin6 days ago

Far From Good Form As He Heads To Texas
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
J.J. McCarthy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Draft Sleepers

Five Fantasy Football Superflex Quarterback Breakouts, Draft Targets (2025)

If you’ve ever played in a Superflex fantasy football league, then you know how important quarterbacks are in this format. The ability to start multiple stud quarterbacks can carry you to a Superflex title. Unfortunately, finding two such players isn’t so easy. All the top signal-callers come off draft boards first, and that makes it […]


Omarion Hampton - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks - NFL Draft

Ideal Landing Spots For The Top 12 Fantasy Football Rookies - 2025 NFL Draft

Then, the NFL Draft continues to inch closer and closer. This is a very interesting class, with a handful of players who could be stars in the NFL and reshape fantasy football leagues going forward. Here are the ideal landing spots for the top 12 fantasy football rookies. These picks exist in conversation with each […]


Jalen Coker - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Eight Best Ball Late Round Value Fantasy Football Players To Target For 2025

Fantasy football is the most popular game in all of sports. It has gone from a paper-and-pen game to a multi-million dollar-a-year one. While redraft leagues are the most popular form of fantasy football, best ball leagues are quickly gaining steam. The best part of best ball leagues is the ability to draft thousands of […]


Abdul Carter - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 NFL Draft Rankings: Top 10 Fantasy Football Edge Rusher Prospects

Edge rusher is the most important, most coveted, and most highly-paid position on defense in the NFL. It stands to reason that the most important position in the entire game being quarterback, and by a wide margin, means the most important position on defense are the players that are tasked with disrupting opposing QBs as […]


Brock Purdy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Picks

Brock Purdy Dynasty Fantasy Football Outlook and Trade Value

Despite becoming the all-time leading passer for the Iowa State Cyclones, Brock Purdy wasn't a highly touted prospect due to his perceived lack of athleticism. The 49ers picked him with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, but Mr. Irrelevant quickly proved everyone wrong. In his first two years, he started in back-to-back NFC […]


Michael Florio's Football Show - Podcast RotoBaller Network

Florio's Football Show: Scouting NFL Draft Prospects!

Michael F Florio goes over some of the top prospects from this years NFL Draft. Florio talks about what he looks for when watching prospect tape and explains what traits translate best to the NFL level. Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (SiriusXM channel 87) on Sundays from 6-7 am. You can […]


Najee Harris - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Dynasty Fantasy Football Buy or Sell: Najee Harris, Rico Dowdle, Jordan Mason

One year ago, we discussed the futures of Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and Aaron Jones as those free agents found new homes. This year's headliners are Najee Harris, Rico Dowdle, and Jordan Mason. Not quite the same. Still, with every transaction come implications for dynasty fantasy football rosters across the globe. Below, we […]


Romeo Doubs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Early 2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Undervalued NFC Draft Targets

While the 2025 fantasy football redraft season is still several months away, there is no such thing as being too prepared for your fantasy draft. Fantasy football is year-round, even for those who only play in redraft leagues. The landscape of fantasy football will change between today and the start of redraft season, with the […]


Detroit Lions Defense, Aidan Hutchinson - Fantasy Football DST Rankings, Streamers, IDP Sleepers

2025 Fantasy Football IDP Sleepers: Five Draft Targets

It's notably difficult to identify sleepers in fantasy football IDP leagues. The skill of the players in question is very important, but situation also plays a large factor, as does a recent history of injuries. Rather than bucketing them into groups, it's better to analyze each one individually, look at where they are in terms […]


Ashton Jeanty - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

Ashton Jeanty's Top Potential Landing Spots For 2025: Fantasy Football NFL Draft Outlook

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty will enter the 2025 NFL Draft as one of the best prospects in the class. Jeanty just ran for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns across 14 games this past college season. Those 2,601 rush yards were the second-most of all-time in FBS history, only behind Barry Sanders's 2,628 rush yards […]


Bhaysul Tuten - NFL Draft Prospects, Rookie Rankings

2025 Fantasy Football Rookie Mock Draft: 12-Team, Single QB

The 2025 NFL Combine has now been completed, so it's worth doing another mock draft to see where everyone stands after the league's pre-draft testing event. Overall, there were a few surprises, but the order of many players will remain the same. The mental domain of the original rankings, which have been fairly set in […]


Rashid Shaheed - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Later-Career Breakout Candidates

Typically, most NFL players break out in the early parts of their careers. Between the ages of 20 and 25 is when you expect to see the majority of players have their first big season. Some waste no time and put together excellent years while they're rookies, while some need more time to develop. These […]


Davante Adams - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

NFL Free Agency Tracker - Updates On Every Free Agent Signing (2025)

HuThe NFL offseason is starting to heat up, and the league's legal tampering period is set to begin on March 10 at noon Eastern. Free agents cannot officially sign until the new league year begins on March 12 at 4 p.m. Eastern, but deals will be agreed to, and news will be coming in quickly […]