San Francisco 49ers: Which Players Have Fantasy Value?
By Baily Deeter
Running backs
Feb 3, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore (21) is forced out of bounds by Baltimore Ravens inside linebacker Dannell Ellerbe (59) in the fourth quarter in Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Jack Gruber-USA TODAY Sports
Frank Gore isn’t a big-play running back, but he’s a consistent workhorse who can handle the grind of a 16-game season and light up a stat sheet.
Gore isn’t extremely explosive or quick, but he still knows how to gain yardage. Gore is a north-south runner who rarely loses yards and is hard to bring down. The 217-pound back isn’t gigantic, but he runs hard and can overpower defensive players with ease.
Last season, Gore set San Francisco’s franchise record for rushing touchdowns. Gore is a good goal-line back, as he compiled 12 touchdowns last season (including the playoffs).
Injuries have hampered him in the past, but he’s stayed on the field lately. He has started his last 37 games, which is fairly assuring for fantasy owners.
While Gore is extremely durable, he doesn’t get every carry. Kendall Hunter saw the field often before his season-ending ACL injury, and LaMichael James got a good amount of touches after Hunter’s injury.
Both are big-play backs who can slip by tacklers and make plays in space, but neither is better than Gore. Gore is San Francisco’s starting running back, and Hunter, James, Anthony Dixon, Jewel Hampton, Marcus Lattimore or any other running back won’t see enough touches to make a fantasy impact.
On the other hand, Gore should be targeted as early as late in the first round. He shouldn’t slip past the second round, as he’s one of the NFL’s best running backs and running backs are usually targeted early. However, if he does, he should be scooped up as a great value pick.
As long as he can stay healthy, Gore can be counted on to put up good numbers. In 2012, Gore finished fifth among running backs with at least 210 carries in yards per carry (4.7), and he found the end zone a good amount of times.
And that’s all he needs to do to live up to fantasy expectations.