As the 49ers get ready for their Week 16 showdown with the Seattle Seahawks, many of you are likely involved in your own monster matchups. Week 16 of the NFL season is the time when fantasy football leagues usually decide their champion. I find myself stuck in a third place game in one league, but I suppose that is better than nothing. How many folks are playing for all the fantasy marbles this weekend?

Frank Gore, David Akers and the 49ers defense remain the usual solid start options this week. Beyond that it is a bit touch and go. We saw Vernon Davis have a strong game last week against the Steelers, but he has not been targeted on a particularly consistent basis. That is not to say he won't this week against Seattle, but you have to be wary given how his season has gone thus far.

Kyle Williams a moderately interesting option as a flex. Michael Crabtree is the most prominent fantasy receiver on the 49ers, but if you are desperate for somebody, Williams seems to be getting more and more looks. Add in the fact that Alex Smith has gone to him on big third down conversions and that could bode well for future growth.

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Week 15 of the NFL season kicked off on Thursday and picks up again tonight with the first Saturday NFL game of the season. I had completely forgot that Dallas and Tampa Bay were squaring off tonight at 5:20pm on the NFL Network. I do love me some random Saturday Night Football. NFL RULES!

Week 15 is particularly important for fantasy football owners because the playoffs are in full swing. If you are still alive in your playoffs, you are either in your second round game leading up to the Week 16 finals, or you are in a first round game in your four-team playoff (like me). If you have Adrian Peterson on your roster, he actually said yesterday that even though his ankle is only at about 85%, he was going to play this week for a few reasons: 1) help his teammates, 2) meet some personal statistical goals, 3) for his fantasy football owners. You gotta love that!

The 49ers host Pittsburgh this weekend in what could potentially end up being a defensive struggle. It is not the ideal fantasy option for most players involved. Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown face big question marks with a gimpy Ben Roethlisberger, but are likely starts. Of course, as a 49ers fan it can be difficult starting opponents' players. I have Rashard Mendenhall in my playoff game but given the 49ers rush defense I feel justified benching him.

On the 49ers side of things, it sounds like Frank Gore is set to start. He is not on the injury report, but given how the 49ers used him last week, who really knows what kind of carries he will get. Of course, given that he is Frank Gore, you still have to start him. Should make for a wild Monday.

The 49ers as a whole have become a tough fantasy option. Michael Crabtree remains a decent start, but beyond him Gore, the 49ers defense and David Akers, they really have very few options. Vernon Davis' role in the offense changes his value tremendously. Kyle Williams has plenty of upside, but he also was shut down when they faced the dominant Baltimore Ravens defense. Does anybody it in them to start Kyle Williams, or really many of the 49ers in fantasy football?

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Week 14 means the start of the fantasy football playoff season for a lot of folks. We're one game into the week with the Steelers beating the Browns, but tomorrow we get a full slate of action, including our 49ers traveling to face the Arizona Cardinals. The matchup opens the door for some intriguing 49ers fantasy options this weekend.

Michael Crabtree has quietly become a solid option. He is better in points per reception leagues, but even in non-PPR leagues, his work with Alex Smith has turned him into a very serviceable receiver for fantasy purposes. Heading into Week 14, he is a very solid start against the Arizona Cardinals. Even if the 49ers passing game doesn't go crazy, he's become Alex Smith's primary target.

Kyle WIlliams is an interesting question mark for fantasy purposes. He has had two solid games over the past three weeks and is earning more playing time. I don't think anybody will be starting him in fantasy football, but if you happen to be desperate for a body, or are looking to stash a receiver in a dynasty league, there are worse options.

The 49ers defense remains a very solid fantasy option, currently operating as one of the top few defenses in the league. It will be interesting to see what the Cardinals throw at them, but they are a must-start defense every week. Their aggressive nature gets them both consistency and upside.

Vernon Davis remains a tough one to figure out for fantasy football. He entered the season as a top option at tight end but he has not been a consistent target this season. The 49ers are winning, which is great, but if you were counting on big numbers from Vernon, they have not been there this season. He retains the normal upside, but you have to make a judgment call this weekend if you are in your fantasy playoffs.

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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!

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I know not everybody is into fantasy football, but as Sunday approaches, this is a really big week for playoff contenders. Most fantasy football playoffs begin Week 14, so this week and next week are all about final playoff positioning or just trying to climb into your top four, six or eight.

I've included a poll with this post as I'm curious how many NN people play fantasy football. Whether it's just one league you play in with some friends for fun, or if you've got five different money leagues, let us know. I do a little extra work for SB Nation helping to provide fantasy football advice and am always open to questions. I tweet fantasy football advice from @sbnationfantasy if you have a game-day question, or any sort of waiver/trade questions.

For folks that do play fantasy football, I'm curious what you think about the idea of projections and predicting sleepers. We have this deal with Vicks where we look at potential sleepers. Since the 49ers played on Thursday and provided a stinker of a fantasy performance, I thought we'd use this more for some general discussion.

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The 49ers host the Cardinals tomorrow and will find themselves in an intriguing situation with their next game only four days after the Cardinals game. Coach Harbaugh has insisted the team is focused on the Arizona game and nothing else, but you just have to think the coaches have spent a decent amount of time breaking down the Baltimore Ravens and getting a game plan ready. It's an incredibly short week after the Cardinals game, with the team flying out to Baltimore on Wednesday, so every second counts in preparing for the Ravens.

There have been some question marks about resting players given the short week. If the 49ers are able to take a sizable early lead, I have to think we'll see a guy like Kendall Hunter get a decent amount of touches. The question is how they mix him in before any possible big lead materializes (if at all).

While I realize not everybody plays fantasy football, I think it does provide some context for discussing what the team might do on Sunday. For example, if you have Kendall Hunter on your roster, he could actually make a decent flex option if you need some help because of bye weeks woes. There is a gamble with playing Hunter, but there is some solid upside this particular week.

The one guy I really like this week is Alex Smith. His downside is that even with a big offensive showing from the 49ers, Smith could end up with only 170 or 180 yards. But there is some solid upside against a sometimes struggling Cardinals defense. I have Drew Brees in a money league and he is on bye this week. Six weeks ago I picked up Alex Smith just for this game. He could come up with a normal line for this season, but I figure I'll roll the dice on a solid performance.

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One of the more under-appreciated aspects of fantasy football is the team defense. The 49ers defense has been dominant both in real life and in fantasy football. The aggressive nature of the defense provides the offense with more short fields thanks to turnovers and earlier forced punts. It also benefits you in fantasy football with sacks and turnovers. It really is win-win.

The 49ers special teams has been huge this year, but you could make a reasonable argument that the 49ers defense provides a key part of that in forcing more and more three and outs. This defense is less inclined to go into the bend but don't break model that we saw under Greg Manusky. Or you could make the argument that Manusky's defenses broke a little bit more frequently and Fangio's defenses do a bit of bending but not quite breaking. Either way, this 49ers defense/special teams is an excellent fantasy weapon.

The rest of the 49ers outside of Frank Gore are tough to figure out. Even Vernon Davis has hit a bit of a wall in the current Greg Roman/Jim Harbaugh offense. We have heard some complaints about getting the ball, so it is entirely possible he suddenly blows up. But the 49ers offense will remain a mystery for fantasy purposes. As long as they keep winning I am not particularly concerned, but it is still worth noting.

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The 49ers and Browns square off tomorrow and as the 49ers come off their bye week, they are in a position of being close to 100% healthy. Among their fantasy football performers, Braylon Edwards is the only one who is still a bit of a question mark. As the 49ers head into what some might consider the second half of the season (ten games, but still), they are getting back to completely healthy, which is key.

As you consider fantasy options moving forward, the 49ers continue to have intriguing options. Braylon Edwards is a big question mark as he tries to get healthy, but there is something a little bit intriguing about him. I don't know if he'll become more than an occasional deep threat, but I've got to think some folks are going to grab him.

On a similar note, I still think Delanie Walker is a guy people should be grabbing where possible. At the very least he is an intriguing bye week fill-in. I grabbed him two weeks ago and he snagged the big touchdown. He did not have huge numbers against the Lions, but he stepped up when it mattered. While he is focusing quite a bit on blocking, his performance in that aspect allows the 49ers to go with two tight end sets. That gets Walker on the field all the more, which means a chance for more targets week in and week out.

As we approach the end of the first half of the 2011 NFL season, how many 49ers players/defensive units do you have on your fantasy roster? The 49ers defense alone is one of the top fantasy defenses out there. I am in two money leagues and in both leagues I grabbed the 49ers defense in the draft.

For fantasy football folks out there, do you draft many 49ers or do you avoid them where possible?