Fantasy football projections, Week 3: 49ers-Cardinals featuring Colin Kaepernick, Frank Gore, Larry Fitzgerald

The Week 3 matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals could turn out to be a defensive battle. We've got the fantasy projections for you courtesy of numberFire.

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick and his team blew a big lead at home against the Chicago Bears last week, and Kaepernick's three interceptions played a big role in that. He'll be in a tough fight against a stout Arizona Cardinals defense in Week 3, but he did throw four touchdowns against Arizona last year. With Patrick Peterson leading the Cards' secondary, Kaepernick may have to rely on his own feet and creativity to make plays. Luckily for his fantasy owners, Kaepernick's scrambling ability is one of the reasons he's one of the highest paid passers in the game.

If Kaeptain America has any trouble finding Anquan Boldin, Vernon Davis or Michael Crabtree in the passing game, he'll rely on the legs of running back Frank Gore, who seems to keep producing as the years pass him by. Gore has looked good in the early going and appears to be running with the same power he always has, despite the fact he has only 129 yards and a touchdown through two games this year. He'll be up against a tough Cardinals run defense this week, but with Drew Stanton starting at quarterback for Arizona, it could mean Gore gets plenty of chances to run on a tired Cards' front line in Week 3.

With Carson Palmer (shoulder) already ruled out this Sunday, backup Stanton gets the nod against the 49ers. That could result in wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald getting a healthy dose of looks for his fantasy owners in Week 3. Fitzgerald caught six passes for 51 yards last week. Those numbers might not jump out at fantasy owners, but they're much better than the single catch for 22 yards Fitzgerald hauled in with Palmer under center in Week 1. It remains to be seen whether the Cardinals will be able to move the ball down the field enough to get Fitzgerald his first touchdown of the season, but he should be able to haul in a fair share of passes this week.

If it just so happens that Stanton struggles finding his receivers, which is a good possibility against San Francisco, the engine of the Cards' offense will be running back Andre Ellington. With Jonathan Dwyer (suspension) out indefinitely, Ellington will be counted on even more heavily to keep things moving on the ground. Ellington, like Fitzgerald, has yet to find the end zone for Arizona this season, but he did have 91 yards rushing on 15 carries last week. He's listed as questionable, but did practice earlier in the week and should start. He's played through injury all season to this point and will likely be used heavily on Sunday out of necessity.