San Francisco 49ers Week 10 Fantasy Report
By Chris Smith
Oct 29, 2012; Glendale, AZ, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree (15) celebrates after scoring a 3 yard touchdown during the first half against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-US PRESSWIRE
Vital Info
Opponent: St Louis Rams
Location: Candlestick Park
Record: 6-2
Quarterback
Alex Smith is one of the better game managers in the league bu this doesn’t always translate into numbers. He’s a marginal fantasy starter this week but certainly worth considering among the likes of Roethlisberger, Rivers, Eli and Freeman. Just be aware that the Rams have shown better ability against the pass than the stats and standard thinking would lead you to believe.
Running Back
He’s been taking big bumps and getting injured for a long time but Frank Gore is still a RB1 fantasy starter and is a must start against St Louis. His back Kendall Hunter is getting a few more carries and in deep leagues is worth starting if you need someone badly enough. Still no sign of LaMichael James – you can drop him in all but deep dynasty leagues and Brandon Jacobs is not even worth a single thought.
Wide Receiver
Michael Crabtree is finally maturing as a power wide receiver as his route running has shown tremendous improvement this year. As a result he is a strong WR2 is most leagues. With that said he will have Cortland Finnegan tracking him this week so maybe temper your expectations just a little – I’m have expecting fireworks if Finnegan gets in Crab’s head. Randy Moss may have been the recipient of a touchdown catch last week but he’s not really involved in this offense – wait and see. Mario Manningham has failed to do much this season as all of his receptions have been for very short yardage – leave him on your bench. Finally, Kyle Williams is only worth stashing in deep dynasty leagues – he’s shown flashes of good play but there are so many better options out there right now.
Tight End
For all his talent, Vernon Davis still has a bad habit of disappearing at times. After going 5 for 106 against the Bills in week 5, he promptly went 5 for 71 in the following three games prior to the bye. Furthermore, despite getting four touchdowns in the first three weeks VD hasn’t reached the end zone since. The Rams are a good matchup for tight ends generally but I couldn’t rank Davis much higher than 6th -8th – he’s a starter but not one you’re really happy with.