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Welcome back for Week 13 of the 2015 NFL season. The San Francisco 49ers are on the road facing the Chicago Bears. The 49ers will be without Carlos Hyde and Garrett Celek, while the rest of the team appears to be healthy. Shaun Draughn will get another start at running back, a week after handling every single offensive snap. He was the first NFL running back to do that this season. Vance McDonald will continue starting at tight end, and Celek's absence opens the door for even more work from him. Blake Bell will be the 49ers No. 2 tight end.
The Chicago Bears have won three of their last four, and their offense is picking up steam under offensive coordinator Adam Gase. They face a 49ers defense that has been abysmal on the road for much of the season, which opens the door for some fantasy opportunities. The 49ers defense looked good last week against the Cardinals, but was thoroughly bulldozed by Thomas Rawls in Week 11. The defense could build on last week's performance, but the odds are not exactly great for that happening.
49ers
Start 'em: Nobody
Maybe start 'em: QB Blaine Gabbert, RB Shaun Draughn, WR Anquan Boldin, TE Vance McDonald, K Phil Dawson, 49ers D/ST - The 49ers offense has shown some signs of life lately, even on the road against the Seahawks. They have a lot of work in front of them, but they provide some intriguing options if you are dealing with injury issues. We are through the bye weeks, so most of these players are best suited for injury replacements, or maybe a flex option ... The best starting option would probable be Anquan Boldin. He appears to be back to 100 percent following a hamstring injury, and is coming off consecutive 90+ yard performances ... Vance McDonald is suddenly an intriguing TE2 option. After 2+ seasons of doing nothing, McDonald has found some life with Blaine Gabbert. He had six receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown last week, and four receptions for 65 yards and a touchdown the week before. He could be worth a roll of the dice ... The 49ers defense is on the low end of rolling the dice. They have been pretty bad on the road, but you have to wonder if Jay Cutler is still good for an interception or two. He has been solid lately, but there is always that possibility. Again, this is the low end of the "maybe" scale
Sit 'em: Everybody else
Bears
Start 'em: QB Jay Cutler, RB Matt Forte, WR Alshon Jeffery, TE Martellus Bennett - Forte was not quite up to speed in his return last week, but with ten days between games, look for him to round further into form. The 49ers run defense has been bad on the road, so this bodes well for Forte ... The Bears passing attack did not have a particularly great game against the Packers, but they face a 49ers defense that has been bad on the road. I do always wonder when Cutler might revert to his turnover form, but I doubt it happens this week.
Maybe start 'em: RB Jeremy Langford - Forte is back in the lineup, but Langford is going to get a quality number of touches for fantasy purposes. While I mentioned the 49ers defense was on the low end of maybe, Langford is on the high end of maybe.
Sit 'em: Everybody else