Bold Predictions for 49ers' Individual Stat Leaders in 2022 NFL Season

The San Francisco 49ers will attempt to make the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2013 in 2022.

Last year's squad made it all the way to the NFC Championship game, but the team will have a new look this season. With Trey Lance taking over for Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback, the offense has a higher ceiling but new uncertainty.

Then there's the constant question of what the Niners rushing attack will look like. They are going to have to replace several offensive linemen, including Alex Mack and Laken Tomlinson.

Fortunately for Lance, the stars of the offense are still there. Trent Williams remains the best left tackle in football. George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk are still a dangerous trio, and Elijah Mitchell returns for his sophomore season after a strong rookie campaign.

Here are some bold predictions for those who are going to lead the offense this season.

Elijah Mitchell Will Finish Top-Five in Rushing Yards

Elijah Mitchell will still have a major role in 2022. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - JULY 28: Elijah Mitchell #25 of the San Francisco 49ers works out during training camp at SAP Performance Facility on July 28, 2022 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

As any fantasy manager can attest, relying on a Kyle Shanahan back can be scary. The coach is notorious for maintaining a heavy rotation of running backs and rolling with whoever has the hot hand.

Despite all that, there's reason to believe that Elijah Mitchell will have one of the best rushing stat lines in the league in 2022.

For one, the biggest threats to Mitchell continuing to be the lead back have not been all that impressive in the preseason. Trey Sermon—a third-round pick in 2021—has averaged just 2.1 yards per carry, even though Shanahan told David Lombardi of The Athletic that Sermon has been one of the team's "best players" in camp.

Tyrion Davis-Price hasn't done anything to overtake Mitchell either. The team used a fourth-round pick on him in this year's draft, but he's only had 74 yards on 24 attempts in the preseason thus far.

The bottom line is that Mitchell proved he could be an effective back in this offense and Shanahan is going to play the best option.

Mitchell only played in 11 games last season but averaged 87.5 yards on the ground in those contests. If he averages that over 15 games, allowing him to miss two games with injury, he would still finish with more than 1,300 yards.

That would have only trailed Jonathan Taylor for the No. 1 spot in the league. So even if Mitchell isn't as effective as last year, he'll make things happen if he just gets enough carries.

George Kittle Will Lead the Team in Receiving

Trey Lance's arrival means George Kittle could be San Francisco's top receiving threat again. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - JULY 27: George Kittle #85 of the San Francisco 49ers works out during training camp at SAP Performance Facility on July 27, 2022 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

It's been three years since George Kittle led the 49ers in receiving yards. Brandon Aiyuk led the way in 2020, and Deebo Samuel was the No. 1 receiver in 2021.

It's important to note that Kittle only played in eight games in 2020 and was on pace to comfortably lead the way before a foot fracture ended his season.

In 2021, the emergence of Samuel put Kittle's production on the back burner to an extent. Still, he had just over 900 yards receiving with Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback.

With Lance taking over as the quarterback, there will be some modification to the receiver hierarchy. The second-year quarterback has reportedly developed good chemistry with his big tight end.

Samuel is certainly a weapon, but he did lead the team in drops last season with 10. Kittle had just two on 94 targets last season.

As Lance goes through the growing pains of learning to play quarterback at the NFL level, he might just use Kittle as a safety valve enough to push him past Samuel this season.

Trey Lance Will Finish as a Top-10 Fantasy Football Quarterback

Trey Lance will be a viable fantasy football starter in 2022. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

HOUSTON, TEXAS - AUGUST 25: Trey Lance #5 of the San Francisco 49ers looks to pass during the first quarter of a preseason game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on August 25, 2022 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

It's hard to know exactly what to expect from Trey Lance in his first season as the starting quarterback. The former North Dakota State passer is certainly talented, but we haven't seen much of him in NFL action.

Reports on how Lance has performed in training camp have been a mixed bag. On one hand, he's reportedly completed around 50 percent of his passing attempts in training camp. On the other, he looked the part of an NFL starter in the preseason opener, going 4-for-5 for 92 yards and a touchdown.

The truth is, Lance is probably going to go to both of those extremes throughout the season. Even with a year working as the backup, he's still in the middle of transitioning from playing at the FCS level to playing against NFL defenses.

As an NFL quarterback trying to win games, he's going to be up and down. However, from a fantasy football perspective, he's going to be a reliable starter much sooner.

That's because his rushing upside is going to help him put up decent stat lines on a weekly basis. Lance wasn't spectacular in the preseason finale against the Texans, though, as he only had one carry for one yard.

Once the regular season starts, it stands to reason we will see Lance as a runner much more. He had over 1,000 rushing yards in his only full season as a starter in college. Once he unleashes that aspect of his game, he's going to be a dynamic fantasy option.

He'll likely help the Niners win more games that way, too.