Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers Fantasy Football Preview
Sep 30, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch (24) carries the ball for a touchdown against the St. Louis Rams during the first half at Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kane-US PRESSWIRE
Thursday night pits a couple of 4-2 teams heading in vastly different directions after last Sunday’s action. The 49ers were coming off of two blowout victories prior to getting crushed on their home field by the New York Giants, while the Seahawks were protecting their home field against Tom Brady and the Patriots.
There is no question in my mind Seattle can win this game, but can a team as good as San Francisco lose more than one game in a row on their home field? I’m not so sure about that. Here’s a fantasy football preview for tonight’s game.
Fantasy Studs
RB Frank Gore, 49ers
Gore is averaging over five yards per carry and it appears as though his career has been rejuvenated a bit. He has four touchdowns in six games as well as 470 yards rushing. He is a very good play week in and week out, in my opinion.
RB Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks
If Seattle is going to beat the Niners, they are going to need a big game from their star running back. Lynch has just two touchdown runs this season but has carried the ball 128 times. He’s bound to hit paydirt once or twice in this game with his heavy workload.
TE Vernon Davis, 49ers
Davis is an absolute beast. He has 23 catches for 340 yards and four touchdowns. The Seahawks have a tough, tough defense but they are only human, and Davis is almost other-worldly. If San Francisco scores a touchdown in any given game, there’s a good chance it’s thanks to this guy.
Decent Starters
WR Michael Crabtree, 49ers
Crabtree is the second leading receiver on San Francisco’s roster with 337 yards and just one touchdown. I think he will have a tough time against the Seahawks, but he is capable of making big plays.
WR Sidney Rice, Seahawks
Rice made a huge play in last week’s win against the Patriots, catching the game-winning touchdown pass. He leads the team with 20 catches for 280 yards this season.
Sleeper Starters
WR Golden Tate, Seahawks
Got a tough week of bye weeks? Give a look to Golden Tate, who has three touchdowns and showed his ability to make big plays last week against the Patriots. Big plays will be hard to come by against the Niners on their home field, but Tate has good speed and can win jump ball situations. He has three touchdowns this year and is averaging almost 15 yards per reception.
QB Russell Wilson, Seahawks
I don’t know what kind of game Wilson will have tonight, but I like him a lot if he’s your backup QB situation this week. Don’t put him in over a stud like Brady, Brees, or Rodgers, but if you have a mediocre starter I think Wilson is worth a shot this week. He has great wheels and showed some serious guts against the Patriots. He is Seattle’s second leading receiver and has thrown four touchdowns in the last two games. He’s also due pretty soon for a rushing touchdown.
Risky Business
QB Alex Smith, 49ers
Smith has the potential to go off for 300 yards and three touchdowns, or do what he did last week and throw three picks with no TD passes. The Seattle defense is very good, so I would be careful with Smith. This could be a smashmouth game with not a lot of passing as well.
WR Mario Manningham, 49ers
Manningham gets a decent number of targets each game, but he’s a risky player to start. He could have a huge game and make you look like the smartest fanstasy GM ever, or he could make you look like a fool.
Game Prediction
I think it would be cool to see the Seahawks win this game, but I think the Niners will defend their home field after getting blown out by New York last week.