Blaine Gabbert, Quinton Patton, Garrett Celek Post-Week 9 Fantasy Advice

The first journey through the Blaine Gabbert experience was a success for the San Francisco 49ers, and Gabbert may be the guy to help your fantasy football team in the middle of the season.

Expectations were low for the former first-round pick in his first start for the Niners. His final numbers don't jump off the page, but they do offer encouragement nonetheless:

Comp./Att.	Yards	TD	INT	Carries	Rush Yards	Rush TD
15/25	185	2	2	8	32	0

ESPN.com's Matthew Berry was pleasantly surprised by the 26-year-old:

Gabbert wouldn't be the worst player to add if you have an emergency at the quarterback position: Perhaps you are unhappy with your current QB2 or have a guy such as Ben Roethlisberger, whom ESPN's Adam Schefter reported could miss a few weeks after suffering a foot injury Sunday.

With that said, Gabbert's fantasy ceiling is limited by a number of factors.

For one, he averaged 155.6 yards per game for the Jacksonville Jaguars and threw one more interception (24) than he did touchdowns (23) in his three years with the team. The chances are slim that Gabbert is a radically transformed quarterback from those days.

In addition, head coach Jim Tomsula didn't commit one way or the other as to whether Gabbert will continue to be the starting QB.

"Gabbert was our starter today," he said after Sunday's win, per Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. "And I don’t have a comment past that."

Gabbert's fantasy value would drop down to zero the second Tomsula moves him back to the bench.

As a result, Gabbert is arguably more valuable in daily fantasy leagues, when you know whether he'll see the field and the matchup plays in his favor.

For instance, with the 49ers playing the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals in their next two matchups, you probably don't envision Gabbert having big games.

Be wary about buying too much into San Francisco's Week 9 triumph.

Considering the amount of turmoil and inconsistency swirling around the 49ers offense, Quinton Patton boasts little to no value for your fantasy team. He registered seven points on NFL.com on Sunday, which was his highest output of the season:

Receptions	Targets	Yards	TD
3	5	70	0

The absence of Anquan Boldin, whom Maiocco reported was inactive, undoubtedly helped inflate Patton's receiving totals, and once the veteran returns to the field, Patton's production should fall back to its normal levels.

In a different offense, being the third option in the passing game wouldn't preclude a player from being a viable fantasy threat. In this case, though, the fact that Patton is behind Boldin and Torrey Smith eliminates any possibility of his consistently delivering steady points on a weekly basis.

If you're looking to add a member of the 49ers offense, Garrett Celek would be the way to go:

Receptions	Targets	Yards	TD
2	2	12	2

Celek was among those who stood the most to gain from Vernon Davis' trade to the Denver Broncos after he moved up on the depth chart. And between him and Vance McDonald, Celek is the better pass-catcher.

Entering Week 9, McDonald had 11 targets and seven receptions for 45 yards, compared to 23 targets and 15 receptions for 139 yards and a touchdown for Celek.

A certain amount of security also comes with Celek, no matter whom San Francisco has at QB. Colin Kaepernick ranks 29th among qualified quarterbacks this year in yards per attempt (6.6), while Gabbert was a full yard below that (5.6) over his NFL career before Sunday evening.

Both Gabbert and Kaepernick favor shorter throws, which would be in Celek's wheelhouse.

Don't be surprised if Celek emerges as a low-end TE1. Expecting two touchdowns per game from the 27-year-old would be unrealistic, but he could average something in the area of 50 to 60 yards on five catches, with the occasional TD sprinkled in.

At this point in the season, finding a tight end who has value can be difficult.

Celek isn't going to rival Tyler Eifert or Rob Gronkowski for elite status, but he could be a helpful addition as you look to consolidate your roster for a playoff push.