The 49ers return home to face the St. Louis Rams in week 13, looking to secure a playoff berth and begin making that next step in January. For fantasy football players, many fantasy playoffs kick off next week, which means this week could be key for playoff positioning, or just getting a spot in the postseason.
If you have any 49ers, this could be a fun week to start some of them. Frank Gore is a must-start in fantasy football and has a nice matchup this weekend. When it comes to fantasy football, anybody can put up a stinker but you gotta stick with your big guns. Frank Gore is one such player.
On the other side of the ball, Steven Jackson has a tough matchup against the 49ers defense. I have Jackson in one of my leagues and at this point I am actually benching him. He could get some points catching balls out of the backfield like Roy Helu did against the 49ers, but I really see no need to start him this week. It's not a pretty matchup. I suppose some would argue you start a guy like Jackson every week, but I don't think so this week.
The 49ers passing attack remains a big question mark from a fantasy football perspective. I think we could see some decent numbers from Alex Smith this week, but the question is who will be hauling in the passes. I suspect Michael Crabtree will continue seeing a lot of passes his way and he could be a very solid flex start in any league, but in PPR leagues in particular.
Other than Crabtree, most of the 49ers receivers are not really worth starting for fantasy purposes. Kyle Williams probably has the most upside from a fantasy perspective, but all things considered, I just don't think he's a guy anybody will be starting this close to the playoffs. Although, if you have an open roster spot and have locked up a playoff berth, why not start him just for the heck of it? Then you can look like a genius when he blows up!