With perhaps the exception of the San Francisco 49ers defense, there wasn't much to celebrate outside of Anquan Boldin owners in fantasy football. The 49ers struggled to move the ball as Colin Kaepernick was constantly pressured all afternoon. Kaepernick was sacked an astounding eight times and fumbled twice. One fumble could have just as easily been ruled a touchdown, but officials couldn't find enough evidence to overturn the call as Kaepernick lost control of the football in an attempt to push the ball over the goal line himself. The 49ers couldn't overcome just 10 unanswered points from the St. Louis Rams and didn't score at all in the second half of the game.
Anquan Boldin is one of few bright spots for fantasy owners in 49ers loss to Rams
Anquan Boldin put up one of the only noteworthy fantasy performances of the day, but there were some controversial snubs. We take a look at the individual fantasy performances from Sunday’s loss.
Thearon W. Henderson
As usual, we’re here to break down the individual fantasy performances of the day.
Colin Kaepernick: Kaepernick’s 237 yards and one touchdown wouldn’t have been so bad if it weren’t for the turnovers. Kaepernick’s two fumbles made him one of the worst QB1 starts of the week. It was one of those weeks where Kaepernick simply appeared awkward and anxious all afternoon. Many of his throws were erratic and he would abandon the pocket quickly while also being sacked eight times by the Rams. He’ll likely bounce back, and the numbers indicate he’ll still provide low QB1 numbers by the end of the season.
Frank Gore: Gore rushed for 49 yards on 14 carries and caught one pass for 9 yards. It was simply a bad day for most of the 49ers offense. Gore has struggled a bit through three games now, but he's been hindered by a shaky offensive line. He still gets the bulk of the workload -- Carlos Hyde saw just two carries on Sunday. He'll remain an RB2 against the New Orleans Saints in Week 10.
Vernon Davis: Davis caught just two passes for 19 yards on Sunday. Davis has been mostly a non-factor since returning from injury. Whether it's because he's not quite 100 percent healthy, San Francisco's offensive line struggling, or both, Davis is more of a TE2 moving forward until the 49ers can make some adjustments.
Michael Crabtree: Crabtree caught five passes for 40 yards. He's getting the targets but he hasn't been able to do much for the past several weeks. It's worth noting that Crabtree caught what appeared to be a touchdown that was ruled down at the half-yard line. The officials could have (and should have) ruled it a score, but fantasy owners were left with another pedestrian performance as a result. Crabtree is barely hanging on to WR3 consideration as long as the 49ers offense continues to struggle.
Anquan Boldin: Boldin caught six of his seven targets for 93 yards and a touchdown. It was surprisingly similar to his 7-94-1 stat line from the last time he faced the Rams in Week 6. Boldin owners should take comfort in the fact that Boldin appears to step up when the 49ers are struggling. Kaepernick leans on Boldin for short and intermediate passes, and it paid off for fantasy owners on Sunday. He’s more of a WR3 in standard scoring formats, but he has more upside in PPR leagues.
