Monday Night Football: The Fantasy Angle

It’s doubtful many owners are still choosing who to play on their fantasy roster in tonight’s Monday Night Football contest. But, plenty of eyes will be watching the stats tonight to see if they win or lose for the first week of the playoffs.

So we checked in with the Cardinals and 49ers bloggers for SB Nation to see what they predict will happen tonight.

Kurt Warner - Despite what Drew Brees may tell you, there isn’t a hotter QB in the league right now than Kurt Warner. In his past four games he’s averaged just over 270 yards passing while throwing 12 touchdowns and zero interceptions and he’s had a QB rating of at least 120 in each game. To boost his fantasy profile this week he’s playing on the road where he’s completing over 73% of his passes on the season and he’s thrown 12 touchdowns versus just two interceptions.
Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin: Typically the Niners play the Cardinals recievers very well by being extra physical with them at the line of scrimmage but this week the Niners secondary is banged up and that’s bad news for Niners’ fans. Warner has been hot over the past month and Fitz and Q has been the biggest beneficiaries. Over the past couple of weeks the teams has tried very hard to get a deep ball to Fitzgerald and that shouldn’t change this week. Look for at least one of these guys to top 100 yards and there will be multiple touchdowns thrown.
Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower: Despite the Cardinals ground game going through a mini-resurgence, neither of these guys is worth a fantasy start simply because they’re inconsistent and unpredictable. It’s almost a guarantee that they will split carries fairly evenly (121 vs. 119 on the season), but predicting which one will actually pick up the yards has been nearly impossible. Hurting both of their values is the fact that there isn’t a clear cut goal line back either and Wells has started to cut into Hightower’s receiving totals as well.

For more Cardinals news, visit Revenge Of The Birds.

The 49ers playoff hopes took a big hit last weekend, but they’ve still got plenty to play for this Monday Night. They face a Cardinals pass defense that has struggled a fair amount with a bend but don’t break style, meaning 49ers receivers certainly have some value, as does Alex Smith.

Alex Smith is coming off arguably the best game of his career, as he surpassed 300 yards passing for the first time. Smith has played quite well in the new shotgun offense the 49ers are employing and has seen his sack rate and interception rate both decline in the current offense. Unless you’ve got a Peyton Manning, Drew Brees type of QB, Alex Smith might actually be a great play this week at home in Candlestick Park without much pressure on him.
Vernon Davis remains the top 49ers receiving target, and probably the best tight end in fantasy football right now. While he’s had drop issues, the 49ers continue to target him a high amount of times, so he remains a must start over just about anybody else.
Michael Crabtree plays in his first Monday Night Football game and will be looking to put on a shoe in prime time. He is putting together a very solid rookie season. Although he has plenty of room for growth, he’s becoming a somewhat reliable fantasy performer. For now he’s no more than a #2 receiver, but more likely a flex guy.

Frank Gore has struggled rushing in the new offense, but remains a guy you have to stick with each week. Although his rushing numbers are down, he can always break a big one, and he remains a solid fixture in the passing game.

The 49ers defense has given up some big plays, but remains aggressive and worth starting. They face the always immobile Kurt Warner, and a less than stellar Cardinals offensive line, which could lead to some sacks. The 49ers and Cardinals always play solid games, so don’t expect a Cardinals blow out to kill those points allowed fantasy points.

49ers fans, join up with your countrymen at Niners Nation.