FANTASY FOOTBALL IN-SEASON FEATURES

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Prediction: SF 20, SEA 17 (Line: SF by 1)

Players Updated: Sidney Rice

Players to Watch: Michael Crabtree. Russell Wilson, Colin Kaepernick

This is the late game on Sunday and should be a great one. This is probably for all the marbles in the NFC West or at the least to see if the Seahawks reach the playoffs. The 49ers already won 13-6 when they hosted this game in week seven. The 49ers also won 19-17 in Seattle last year in another year ending game. This one will be all about defense and likely low scoring unless the defenses can notch a score or two.

The forecast is for rain which will only slow this game down even more.

Pregame Notes: The 49ers can clinch the division with this game and realistically, even if they lost they only need to beat the visiting Cardinals in week 17 to secure the title by probably a half game. But this game takes another importance - the 49ers are currently the #2 seed and while they won't catch the Falcons to reach the #1, a loss here may allow the Packers to sneak past and get the #2 seed. Provided both the Packers and 49ers win or lose this week, the season finale for each will still have meaning since it will be for second round home field and a bye.

The difference this time around from seven weeks ago is that Colin Kaepernick has taken over at quarterback. Alex Smith passed for 140 yards and one score on the visiting Seahawks in week seven. In five starts, Kaepernick has not thrown for fewer than 185 yards and has been above 200 in all others.

He comes off a season best four scores and 216 yards in New England. Defending against a running quarterback is not what the Seahawks often do. The passing game should be better too with the Seahawks already missing RCB Brandon Browner who is on suspension and LCB Richard Sherman has his hearing on Friday when he will discover if he can play or not.

Frank Gore rushed for 131 yards on 16 carries in the first meeting and caught a season best 51 yards on five receptions. He has not passed 100 rush yards since and won't likely again this week in Seattle. LaMichael James is getting eight carries per week for about 30 yards but has only one reception.

Vernon Davis just missed on a long scoring pass last week but still ended up with just one reception for 10 yards. He's lost all fantasy value in the last month and did not have any catches in the last meeting with the Seahawks. He did not even get any targets.

The rookie A.J. Jenkins is suiting up but hasn't caught a pass so far. Randy Moss scored on the Patriots as a tip of the hat to his old employer but remains outside of any fantasy value. Michael Crabtree only ended with four receptions for 31 yards in the last meeting with the Seahawks but has been golden in almost every game since and scored three times in just the last two games. He already has eight touchdowns and three 100 yard games in this breakout season.

This will be a defensive battle though missing the starting corners could be an issue if Sherman is out as well. Crabtree should already get Browner's replacement anyway and Seattle has to decide how to defend the same offense as before only with a running quarterback.

	Opp	RuYD	RuTD	Rec	ReYD	ReTD	PaYD	PaTD	Int	ConFac
QB Colin Kaepernick, SF	ARI	40	1	0	0	0	220	2	0
Kaepernick could use a good game here after only 244 yards and one score in Seattle last week. Alex Smith tossed three scores and 232 yards in the win in Arizona. Figure on Kaepernick having a decent showing here and a good shot at a rushing score. He won't get pulled from this one that they must win and he needs the reps anyway.

	Opp	RuYD	RuTD	Rec	ReYD	ReTD	PaYD	PaTD	Int	ConFac
RB Frank Gore, SF	ARI	60	0	1	10	0	0	0	0
Gore's been less effective in the second half of the year and only managed 16-55 in the Arizona meeting with the Cards. The problem here could be a big 49ers lead which leads to less use of Gore and possibly yanking him later in the game knowing they need him more for the playoffs.

	Opp	RuYD	RuTD	Rec	ReYD	ReTD	PaYD	PaTD	Int	ConFac
RB LaMichael James, SF	ARI	40	0	2	10	0	0	0	0
James has only seen about 8 carries per week as a high but that could go up this week against the Cardinals. That still won't make him anything more than a really risky flex play at best.

	Opp	RuYD	RuTD	Rec	ReYD	ReTD	PaYD	PaTD	Int	ConFac
WR Michael Crabtree, SF	ARI	0	0	5	70	1	0	0	0
Crabtree enjoyed one of his best showings on the year when he caught 5-72 with two TDs in Arizona during week eight. He's always been a safe bet at home where four of his last five TDs happened.

	Opp	RuYD	RuTD	Rec	ReYD	ReTD	PaYD	PaTD	Int	ConFac
WR Anquan Boldin, SF	ARI	0	0	7	80	0	0	0	0
The veteran needs 79 yards to reach the 1,000-yard mark for the season. Maybe the Ravens will force-feed him to get there, but that's hardly enough to make him a fantasy must-start against a pretty good Cincy secondary.

	Opp	RuYD	RuTD	Rec	ReYD	ReTD	PaYD	PaTD	Int	ConFac
WR Randy Moss, SF	ARI	0	0	3	40	0	0	0	0
Moss steps into the #2 role now that Manningham is out but that is not likely to mean too much. Manningham never gained more than 72 yards as the flanker and scored only once all year. Worth watching to see what changes if any are made but not worth relying on for a fantasy start.

	Opp	RuYD	RuTD	Rec	ReYD	ReTD	PaYD	PaTD	Int	ConFac
TE Vernon Davis, SF	ARI	0	0	2	20	0	0	0	0
Davis needs to be more involved now that Manningham is gone but he only accounted for 2-34 in the last meeting with the Cards. He's only averaged one catch over the last five weeks and never scored. Fortunately the Cards are weak against the position on the road where three of their last four opponents scored used a TE.

Pregame Notes: Hard to argue with back-to-back games with 50 points or more. All of that doesn't so much matter this week other than the Seahawks have to be feeling plenty good about their offense lately despite racking up wins on bad teams. At 9-5, the Seahawks are currently in the lead for the #5 seed wildcard and even a loss this week doesn't necessarily mean they are out but will mean the final home game against the Rams has to be a win and then sort through the tie breakers with the other 10-6 teams.

Russell Wilson comes off his best game of the year by exponential factor when he had his standard 205 yard, one touchdown effort in Buffalo but added three rushing touchdowns and 92 yards on nine runs. He had never scored as a runner before and only once before topped 35 yards as a runner. Wilson only managed 122 passing yards and no scores in San Francisco back in week seven and ran for only 10 yards on three scampers.

Marshawn Lynch faces one of the top rushing defenses in the league but he already gained 103 yards on 19 runs back in week seven and his only efforts under 100 yards in the last eight weeks were all in road games, not at home. Lynch scored eight touchdowns in the seven games since the last 49ers matchup. His last three home games all produced over 120 rushing yards with at least one score.

The passing effort was so bad in the previous matchup that no tight end or wideout Golden Tate had a reception in the game and the best receiver ended up as Ben Obamanu with only three catches for 50 yards. This will be a defense battle to be sure and the 49ers were able to pin down even Tom Brady for three quarters last week.

The only fantasy play here is Marshawn Lynch just the same as really any other game this year. Wilson had a monster game as a runner last week but that's not likely to happen here.

	Opp	RuYD	RuTD	Rec	ReYD	ReTD	PaYD	PaTD	Int	ConFac
QB Russell Wilson, SEA	STL	30	0	0	0	0	200	1	1
Wilson only passed for 160 yards and no scores in St. Louis for his worst fantasy game of the year. The Seahawks just want to win this and then not get anyone hurt so figure on Wilson only as an average play this week and really any week. He had four scores last week but only 171 yards. He ran for three touchdown in Buffalo but he had never scored on the ground before and only passed for 205 and one score.

	Opp	RuYD	RuTD	Rec	ReYD	ReTD	PaYD	PaTD	Int	ConFac
QB Brady Quinn, SEA	STL	0	0	0	0	0	180	0	2
Quinn has been shut out in four of his five starts, including 126 and zero against the Broncos. And you want to play him here why?

	Opp	RuYD	RuTD	Rec	ReYD	ReTD	PaYD	PaTD	Int	ConFac
RB Marshawn Lynch, SEA	STL	120	1	1	10	0	0	0	0
Lynch already ran for 20-118 and one score in St. Louis and he's on a four game scoring streak currently. They gave him 26 runs last week versus the 49ers and are resting him in practices. Lynch is an obvious safe start this week but if the Seahawks get a big lead, they'll be more inclined to rest Lynch.

	Opp	RuYD	RuTD	Rec	ReYD	ReTD	PaYD	PaTD	Int	ConFac
WR Sidney Rice, SEA	STL	0	0	4	50	0	0	0	0
Rice is the preferred target for Wilson but is still banged up and only posted 4-41 in the last meeting with the Rams. Not a great start this week.

	Opp	RuYD	RuTD	Rec	ReYD	ReTD	PaYD	PaTD	Int	ConFac
WR Golden Tate, SEA	STL	0	0	4	40	0	0	0	0
Tate is far too inconsistent to merit any fantasy consideration.

	Opp	RuYD	RuTD	Rec	ReYD	ReTD	PaYD	PaTD	Int	ConFac
TE Zach Miller, SEA	STL	0	0	3	30	1	0	0	0
Miller scored in two of the last three and the Rams are good against wideouts. It makes Miller a little more interesting for a TD but his yardage is never much anyway.

	Opp	fga	FGM	xpa	XPM	ConFac
K Steven Hauschka, SEA	STL	2	2	3	3
Hauschka has been golden in recent home games.

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