Anyone feel like you could win or lose the week based on what happens tonight? If so, maybe you're stashing too many 49ers and Rams.
In most leagues, only a couple of Niners are rostered: Carlos Hyde and Pierre Garcon. Both are 100% rostered in ESPN leagues and one (Hyde) is widely viewed as a weekly must-start RB. I've been wary of Hyde's fantasy potential each of the past two summers. If he weren't such an injury risk, and if he played in a top-16 offense, he'd be a perennial first rounder on draft day. Of course he needs to be rolled out there against the Rams. But if an opponent needs an RB1 after losing David Johnson, or is feeling burned with DeMarco Murray or Jordan Howard, I'd love to hand over Hyde for a top 8 wideout and a modest upgrade elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Matt Breida remains one of fantasy's top handcuffs, by virtue of Hyde's injury history and a lack of competition elsewhere (#3 RB Raheem Mostert is not a threat). If you have Hyde and a decent-sized bench, grabbing Breida is a no-brainer.
As for Garcon, his realistic production lies somewhere between his Week 1 output (six catches for 81 yards) and his Week 2 output (three catches for 26 yards). He's one of those "trade him after a big game" players, though you'll probably need to package him in a 2-for-2 to make it work.
On the other side of the ball, Todd Gurley's coming off his best game in over a season. Last week I pointed out that if his name weren't Todd Gurley, he'd be at risk of a benching. At that point, he'd accrued 3.13 yards per carry in his previous 19 games. Seriously? Yeah, seriously. So let's not jump on the Gurley bandwagon yet. His expanding role in the passing game and the Rams' offensive improvements certainly help. But he could go either way at this point: a return to weekly RB1 production, or a fade into TD dependency.
Meanwhile, the Rams' receiving corps is still shaking things out. "Prized" offseason acquisition Sammy Watkins hasn't looked the part yet. Robert Woods hasn't--and likely never will--look the part. Cooper Kupp is destined for hit-or-miss production, at least in this year's version of the Rams. And Gerald Everett (one of my hyped-up TE bargains last weekend on my "4:44" podcast) won't see enough targets to be more than a situational streamer--and he also appears to be questionable for tonight's game.
The problem is Jared Goff's still acclimating to the league, and despite a solid first two weeks, he needs to be markedly better to involve more than two receivers per game. Watkins goes off? That leaves very little for the rest. Kupp and Everett combine for 150 yards? Watkins and Woods probably won't exceed 40.
Making things worse, this is Goff's schedule after tonight: @ Dallas, Seattle, @ Jacksonville, Arizona, Bye, @ Giants, Houston, @ Minnesota, New Orleans, @ Arizona, Philadelphia, @ Seattle, @ Tennessee, San Francisco. And that final Niners game is Week 17, so that's moot for most of you. The fact is, any strides Goff makes this season will be in the margins: playing better than bad by limiting turnovers and managing the clock. So far, he's succeeding. But the true tests will come after this week.
In most leagues, only a couple of Niners are rostered: Carlos Hyde and Pierre Garcon. Both are 100% rostered in ESPN leagues and one (Hyde) is widely viewed as a weekly must-start RB. I've been wary of Hyde's fantasy potential each of the past two summers. If he weren't such an injury risk, and if he played in a top-16 offense, he'd be a perennial first rounder on draft day. Of course he needs to be rolled out there against the Rams. But if an opponent needs an RB1 after losing David Johnson, or is feeling burned with DeMarco Murray or Jordan Howard, I'd love to hand over Hyde for a top 8 wideout and a modest upgrade elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Matt Breida remains one of fantasy's top handcuffs, by virtue of Hyde's injury history and a lack of competition elsewhere (#3 RB Raheem Mostert is not a threat). If you have Hyde and a decent-sized bench, grabbing Breida is a no-brainer.
As for Garcon, his realistic production lies somewhere between his Week 1 output (six catches for 81 yards) and his Week 2 output (three catches for 26 yards). He's one of those "trade him after a big game" players, though you'll probably need to package him in a 2-for-2 to make it work.
On the other side of the ball, Todd Gurley's coming off his best game in over a season. Last week I pointed out that if his name weren't Todd Gurley, he'd be at risk of a benching. At that point, he'd accrued 3.13 yards per carry in his previous 19 games. Seriously? Yeah, seriously. So let's not jump on the Gurley bandwagon yet. His expanding role in the passing game and the Rams' offensive improvements certainly help. But he could go either way at this point: a return to weekly RB1 production, or a fade into TD dependency.
Meanwhile, the Rams' receiving corps is still shaking things out. "Prized" offseason acquisition Sammy Watkins hasn't looked the part yet. Robert Woods hasn't--and likely never will--look the part. Cooper Kupp is destined for hit-or-miss production, at least in this year's version of the Rams. And Gerald Everett (one of my hyped-up TE bargains last weekend on my "4:44" podcast) won't see enough targets to be more than a situational streamer--and he also appears to be questionable for tonight's game.
The problem is Jared Goff's still acclimating to the league, and despite a solid first two weeks, he needs to be markedly better to involve more than two receivers per game. Watkins goes off? That leaves very little for the rest. Kupp and Everett combine for 150 yards? Watkins and Woods probably won't exceed 40.
Making things worse, this is Goff's schedule after tonight: @ Dallas, Seattle, @ Jacksonville, Arizona, Bye, @ Giants, Houston, @ Minnesota, New Orleans, @ Arizona, Philadelphia, @ Seattle, @ Tennessee, San Francisco. And that final Niners game is Week 17, so that's moot for most of you. The fact is, any strides Goff makes this season will be in the margins: playing better than bad by limiting turnovers and managing the clock. So far, he's succeeding. But the true tests will come after this week.