FANTASY FOOTBALL: Another round of 49ers RB roulette

After a few weeks when all was well in the San Francisco backfield, we’re back to the guessing game that Kyle Shanahan brings to his offence.

Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell had provided quite 1-2 punch since the latter returned from the IR to join the former Panther, but the salad days are over. Mitchell has been ruled out for six to eight weeks with an MCL sprain, which essentially ends his regular season.

While McCaffrey says that he “dodged a bullet” with his knee issue that caused him pain and limited him last week, there’s no telling what exactly that means. He is questionable for Sunday’s game against Miami but all indications are that he will play – how much he plays is the real question.

This brings both Tyrion Davis-Price and Jordan Mason into the mix. Both rookies could be in line for at least Mitchell’s usual amount of touches, but there’s no telling who due to Shanahan’s legendary secrecy. After all, the coach ran with Jeff Wilson Jr. over the two earlier this season, then dealt the RB to Miami, which happens to be this week’s opponent.

While the wait-and-see approach is the most annoying one in fantasy football, that’s what the case is here to see which 49ers rookie will be the nugget of gold and which will be coal.

BIG BAM THEORY

When you have a name like Zonovan, you really don’t need a nickname like “Bam,” but that’s what Jets rookie RB Zonovan Knight goes by.

Another name he should go be this week is Fantasy Star. Knight is set to be the Jets feature back this week against a pedestrian Minnesota defence after Michael Carter was listed as doubtful after missing practice again on Friday.

Knight had already been splitting carries with Carter last week before the latter got hurt and trade-deadline acquisition James Robinson was a healthy scratch for the game.

Knight could end up be a game-changer in fantasy down the stretch.

LET GO-DELL

After reports last week that the timeline for Odell Beckham Jr. to actually hit the field is longer than initially reported, it’s probably time to ditch the diva WR for a player that could actually be of use.

Beckham’s free agency tour is only kicking off this weekend and going into next week, which means he’s unlikely to even have a contract before next week’s games. Then it’s a matter of learning the playbook and getting up to speed with his new team’s offence. This is especially important for a guy who tore his ACL for a second time earlier this year.

With reports saying that a late-December return to the field, regardless of which team he signs for, that is already deep into the fantasy playoffs. If you’re still alive then, feel free to take a gamble on him, but for now, he should be considered droppable.

FAST STATS

Falcons rookie WR Drake London hasn’t had a 50+ receiving yard game since Week 3, at which point he had three in a row … In his 13 games with Sam Darnold as his QB, Panthers WR DJ Moore has averaged 14.1 PPR points per game with a 29% target rate and a line of 67-891-4 … Chiefs star Travis Kelce has four 100-yard games this season while all other TEs have combined have four … Last week, Jalen Hurts became the first QB with 100 rushing yards in a quarter in the past 30 years. In the game, he ran for 157 yards and threw for 153, becoming the fourth player in NFL history to top 150 in each stat in a game … Jamaal Williams has played more than 50% of Lions snaps just once this year, yet still leads the league with 13 rushing TDs … Bengals backup RB Samaje Perine has as many 19+ PPR games this season as starter Joe Mixon … Aaron Rodgers has thrown as many INTs this season (nine), as he did in the previous two seasons combined … Denver is averaging 14.3 points per game this season, which is the worst mark since the 2000 Browns.

SIT/START

Start Trevor Lawrence, QB, JAC at DET

Has improved his point total in each of the past four games and faces the dreadful Lions defence.

Sit Russell Wilson, QB, DEN at BAL

Last week, Wilson ranked QB33 overall and, in case you forgot, there are only 32 teams in the league.

Start David Montgomery, RB, CHI vs. GB

Over the past three games, three RBs have scored 20+ fantasy points against the Packers.

Sit Alvin Kamara, RB, NO at TB

Had an awful outing last week and the Bucs give up the third-fewest points to opposing RBs.

Start Zay Jones, WR, JAC at DET

Much like Lawrence, has certainly found his form and now has a great matchup while in line for a lot of targets.

Sit Curtis Samuel, WR, WAS at NYG

Has seen his usage dwindle in the passing game, not even getting a target last week.

Start Diontae Johnson, WR, PIT at ATL

Is this his week to finally score a TD? His 56 receptions without a score are 26 more than the next TD-less player.

STAT CORNER

The gap between TE1 Travis Kelce and TE2 Mark Andrew s (83.4 points) is the same as the gap between Andrews and TE38 Harrison Bryant.

ADD OF THE WEEK

Mike White, QB, NYJ

Became the first player to record multiple games with 300+ passing yards, three TDs and 75% completion percentage in his first four starts.

DROP OF THE WEEK

Allen Robinson II, WR, LAR

A very disappointing first season in L.A. – and a second awful year in a row – comes to an end after being placed on the IR with a foot injury.

WAIVER WIRE DEFENCE

Cleveland Browns DEF

Face the lowly Texans, who fantasy DEFs have averaged 12.3 points per game against over their past six contests.

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