The San Francisco 49ers expect running back LaMichael James to make his preseason debut on Sunday against the San Diego Chargers. James started the offseason as the third running back behind both Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter, but with Marcus Lattimore potentially getting healthy and Carlos Hyde being drafted in the second round, the depth chart became ... confusing.
LaMichael James to make preseason debut; no fantasy value yet
San Francisco 49ers running back LaMichael James will play against the San Diego Chargers on Sunday. We break down the fantasy implications.
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But Hunter is now out for the season with an injury and Lattimore hasn’t yet been cleared to play. James’ role became a lot clearer for a brief moment, then he sustained his elbow injury and missed a month. Since then, Hyde has looked solid in the preseason. Solid enough to earn the backup role behind Gore. But Harbaugh has said that he expects James to do more than return kicks.
Fantasy Impact: James has plenty of playmaking ability, but we won’t know if he has any actual fantasy value until we see what he looks like in the preseason, and we see if he’s above Hyde on the depth chart. Gore is not a running back who likes to give up the football, and he’s certainly not going to give up enough to accommodate three running backs. James has potential, but at the moment, he has no fantasy value.
