Fantasy stud(s): Frank Gore, RB, SF - When healthy, Gore has been doing it well all year for his fantasy owners. While not necessarily the Bears D we've grown accustomed to seeing, Gore finished with 25 carries for 104 yards and a touchdown. He also added four receptions for 21 yards in the victory. The 100-yard game was his first since Week 2 against the Seahawks when he ripped off two long TDs and 207 yards. His carry total was also a season-high, besting the 22 totes he had in the regular season opener.
Fantasy dud(s): Jay Cutler, QB, CHI - Someone must have forgotten to tell Cutler that his team was NOT wearing the dark uniforms on Thursday. He ended up throwing picks to five different San Francisco defenders, getting his fantasy owners off to a rocky start for Week 10. His yardage total wasn't as bad as it could be, finishing with 307, but he ended up with no touchdown passes too. Yuck.
Key injuries: Chicago Bears TE Desmond Clark was forced to leave the game due to a neck injury, heading off to the locker room to be re-evaluated before emerging shortly thereafter. Clark finished the game with one reception for seven yards. DB Zach Bowman also suffered an abdominal injury early on and was unable to return. For the 49ers, LB Takeo Spikes pulled a hamstring and was unable to return after racking up four solo tackles and an assist. Rookie Scott McKillop replaced him in the lineup. Luckily for these teams, each club has an extra few days to mend before Week 11. 49ers WR Isaac Bruce was also inactive for this one due to an ankle ailment and RB Glen Coffee (concussion) was also sidelined.
Let me re-introduce you to: Matt Forte, RB, Chicago - While he managed just 41 rushing yards on 20 carries, he made up for it in the receiving game. After being nearly invisible early in the season in the passing game, Forte racked up a season-high 120 yards and eight receptions in the losing effort. Cutler found success with the short pass to his tailback and this might become more and more a part of the offense, especially since Cutler was so unsuccessful going deep downfield. Fantasy owners of Forte were pleasantly surprised in this one, especially if they saw the score and didn't see the box score or live scoring until later.
Stat of the day: Cutler has thrown five red zone INTs in 2009 to lead the NFL. He was also atop the category with Denver last season with four picks inside the opponent's 20-yard line.
Rookie look: Michael Crabtree, WR, SF - Crabtree managed four catches for 48 yards to lead his team in receiving for the second time in the past three games. That's not bad considering he has only been on the field since Week 7. Still, in this run-first offense for coach Mike Singletary, Crabtree is only worth considering as a No. 3 or 4 fantasy receiver or 'flex' option in most formats.
Defense/Special teams: The 49ers certainly did their fantasy owners proud, racking up five interceptions and not allowing any touchdowns. LB Patrick Willis did his best Singletary imitation, posting eight solo tackles and three assists. The Bears also limited the 49ers to just 10 points while picking off one pass and posting two sacks. LBs Lance Briggs and Hunter Hillenmeyer were all over the field, as Briggs had six solo tackles and six assists, while Hillenmeyer was good for five solo stops and three helpers.
Things you didn’t know: The 49ers went three-and-out four times in this game and lead the NFL in the category with 40 three-and-out possessions this season.
Final take: These two teams might technically still be alive for a spot in the postseason, but don't expect to see do much of anything in November and December. While they have nice players on each side, especially for fantasy purposes, they have too many holes and/or injuries to make much noise in a competitive NFC. The Bears have a difficult home game against the Eagles on Sunday Night Football in Week 11, while the 49ers hit the road for Lambeau against their second straight NFC North Division opponent in the Packers.
credit:
http://sports.espn.go.com
Posts
Comments (0)
Post a Comment