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The fantasy playoffs have arrived! Congratulations to those who are still playing and most importantly, good luck. If you have some fantasy skin in the 49er vs. Seahawks game Sunday we are here to help you figure out what to do. It looks like a low scoring matchup on paper, but there are still a few guys who are must starts and a few who have FLEX appeal.
Frank Gore
With his second plus matchup in as many weeks, Gore again failed to rush for over 50 yards. The touchdown made it easier to swallow, but it is clear that teams want to stop Gore and force Kaepernick to beat them. The good news here is Kaepernick may now be in the position to consistently make defenses pay for adhering to the "Stop Gore At All Cost" philosophy. Seattle is still a tough opponent for opposing rushers, but the squad can be beat. It is just hard to see Gore doing anything noteworthy against a team that held him to 16 yards on 9 carries in the previous matchup. He is a mid level RB2 on Sunday. Expect around 60 yards rushing and a solid chance for a TD.
Colin Kaepernick
The last two weeks have been kind to Kap. He's passed for 510 yards and 5 touchdowns against some favorable matchups. Crabtree's return definitely helps, but Kaepernick's short history against the Seahawks is less than stellar (371 passing yards, 118 rushing, 1 TD and 3 INTS). It's his first home game against Seattle, which makes him slightly interesting. I'm not as down on CK7 as many others are this week. I don't think he'll finish in the top 5 QBs, but I think he'll turn in a third serviceable effort. If you can live with a ceiling of 200 passing, 50 rushing and 2 TDs then by all means start him, but even if he plays well he will be hard pressed to top those numbers.
Anquan Boldin
Boldin is starting to look a lot more like the receiver we saw in week 1. He remains more of a WR3 in standard leagues, but has been playing as a borderline WR2 in PPR formats. It's amazing what you can do when you aren't the only wide receiver being taken seriously on a team. The return of Crabtree and Manningham is certainly opening up opportunities, especially on 3rd down. He was stifled by the Seahawks in week 1 which is a major concern, even with the Seahawks being without a couple of their best cornerbacks. Boldin should be good for another 5-7 receptions for around 60 yards, but the matchup makes him a WR3 in all formats.
Michael Crabtree
Things weren't looking great for Crabs in the first half, but it all changed with one 60 yard reception. If you've been stashing Crabtree on your bench you may want to keep him there this week. YungCrab has never gone over 85 yards in his 7 career games against Seattle. He is still working his way back from injury and expecting a career game from him on Sunday is a bit much. There is still some uncertainty around his playing time, but he should get enough snaps to create opportunities for an okay fantasy game, but you need more thank okay in the fantasy playoffs. I'd put his numbers around what I would expect from Boldin, 6 receptions for around 60 yards.
Vernon Davis
With at least 4 receptions and a touchdown in each of the last 3 weeks, Davis continues to make his case for best fantasy tight end west of New Orleans. Nightmare to safeties and linebackers alike, #85 now has 10 touchdowns on the season. The question this week is if Seattle's secondary is deep enough to contain him as well as they did in week 2. The 49ers now have all their starters in place, while the Seahawks are missing some key components to their defense. Covering Boldin, Crabtree and Davis is a large task for any defense and Seattle may be the only team capable of containing all three. My guess is that at least one of the San Francisco receiving option breaks out for a big game this week. My money is on Vernon. Seattle has only given up 4 touchdowns to tight ends all year and outside of a 4 yard TD, they put the kibosh to Jimmy Graham Monday Night. It's a tough matchup all around, but Vernon isn't a guy you bench any week. 5 receptions for 80 yards and a TD is very attainable.
Russell Wilson
After seeing Wilson shred the Saints secondary like they were cardboard cutouts it's easy to see why this guy has been a top 10 fantasy QB. One of his worst games was against the 49ers in week 2, but that'll happen when you only have 19 passing attempts and a comfortable lead. He'll be passing more on Sunday and even against a strong San Francisco defense he is a good bet to finish in the top 10 at QB. 250 yards passing, 40 yards rushing and 2 TDs is the ballpark projection for young DangeRuss.
Marshawn Lynch
You know what? I'm getting really tired of seeing this guy. You would have to go back to the beginning weeks of 2011 to find the last time Lynch didn't get 100 yards rushing against San Francisco. Sometimes the other guy just has your number and that appears to be the case when Beast Mode sees scarlet and gold. He is a no brainer RB1 start this week and you'd be surprised if he didn't find the end zone Sunday.
Golden Tate
Tate still lurks around the WR3 crowd, especially when Percy Harvin isn't around to kill his buzz. You can only draw so much from his 1 reception week 2 performance given how the game got out of hand. He is only a few weeks removed from a 6/108/1 game, but it seems he rarely shows up for games against top level pass defenses. It doesn't appear as though Harvin will play Sunday, but there are numerous wide receivers with better circumstances available in most leagues.
Percy Harvin
I'll keep this short. Make other plans Harvin holders. With the division seemingly within their grasps the Seahawks have very little incentive to start Harvin on Sunday. If he did play, there is no guarantee that he wouldn't be limited. You need to win this week and it's just too risky of a play, especially at such a deep position.
Zach Miller
I've included the Seahawk tight end since he has been playing well as of late. 9 receptions, 150 yards and a TD over 2 weeks is solid output for a fantasy tight end. However, the Zach Miller experience seems destined to end on Sunday. The 49ers are one of the best teams against TEs and held Miller in check week 2. Start Miller if you are desperate or don't feel like taking 2 minutes to find a better option on waivers (John Carlson, Anthony Fasano, Rob Housler...all great alternatives to Miller week 14).
Sleeper Pick
Doug Baldwin
The 49ers haven't been hurt by the big pass play often this year, but Baldwin has been consistently putting up WR3 numbers over the last few games. His worst game out of the previous four resulted in 5 receptions for 76 yards. He scored in the other 3 contests. If the Seahawks are going for a long pass play, Baldwin is the most likely recipient. If the game stays close I'd pencil him in for 4 receptions, 80 yards and a TD.
Good luck out there gamers. If you have any fantasy football question leave it in the comment section and maybe you'll get some nice outside advice.
