Editor's Note: FanDuel is hosting a FREE Week 8 fantasy football league where half the teams win cash on Sunday. New users only. Join now!
Welcome back for Week 8 of the 2015 NFL season. The San Francisco 49ers are back in action, looking to do something positive after a pretty horrendous look against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 7. The offense was atrocious, as Colin Kaepernick and the offensive line both struggled to do much of anything. The defense was the big "winner" in terms of fantasy football, as they had five sacks and two interceptions. The fact that the 49ers still only managed three points is absurd.
This week, there are some intriguing fantasy options for the 49ers, and plenty of awful ones. We can move most of the players to the sit 'em category, but there might be one or two decent options.
49ers
Start 'em: None - I can't justify any 49ers with certainty
Maybe start 'em: 49ers D/ST, Phil Dawson
Sit 'em: Everybody else - I just can't see any reason to start any offensive 49ers this week. It is certainly possible they surprise us, but if the 49ers do keep this close or even spring an upset, it will be more due to their defense. Colin Kaepernick faces a strong pass rush, and if he is sacked fewer than five times, it might count as a victory. The odds are just not in his favor ... The 49ers ground game will be without Carlos Hyde due to injury, leading to a likely committee approach with Reggie Bush, Mike Davis and Jarryd Hayne Kendall Gaskins. Bush would probably be the best option of the three, but there's not a whole lot there ... And with Kap likely to struggle, I don't see the 49ers passing game doing a whole lot of much.
Rams
Start 'em: Rams D/ST, RB Todd Gurley, K Greg Zuerlein - This Rams defense could do some serious work on Sunday. The 49ers offensive line has shown no reason to think they can stop the pass rush. I don't expect many turnovers, although a sack/fumble or two is not out of the question. I wish I could be more optimistic, but the 49ers offensive line is not nearly good enough to deal with the Rams defense ... Nick Foles is inconsistent, but the Rams don't need a lot from him with Gurley in the picture. The rookie is looking great, and the 49ers run defense is prone to lapses in tackling technique.
Sit 'em: Nick Foles, Tavon Austin, Jared Cook, etc - I think the 49ers defense will be what keeps the 49ers somewhat close in the game. That means I expect poor performances in the Rams passing game. And really, the Rams won't need to rely too heavily on that passing game, which means less for fantasy performances.