The mess surrounding the San Francisco 49ers continues to get worse. Running back Carlos Hyde has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the St. Louis Rams due to a stress fracture in his left foot. The Sacramento Bee reports the 49ers want to give him extended rest and he is likely to be held out through the team’s Week 10 bye. Following Hyde’s tremendous first game of the season on Monday Night Football in Week 1, the expectations for him grew but he’s been unable to deliver in fantasy. It’s more a product of San Francisco being in a state of disarray and not having enough running opportunities due to the team frequently falling behind early.
Reggie Bush is expected to become the starting running back with Mike Davis handling the short yardage work. Let’s be honest – your team is probably in horrible shape if you’re considering starting either of the two but there has to be a better option out there this week. The St. Louis defense has been one of the best in the league this season and unless Halloween pranksters have egged the Rams defensive playbook, this is going to be a slaughter. The 49ers have been pushed around by lackluster defenses. Things are going to get worse without their best offensive player against a top defense.
You can’t even trust the passing game for any sleeper picks. Anquan Boldin is the best wide receiver on the team but is listed as questionable due to dealing with a hamstring issue. Boldin’s hamstring tightened up in Thursday’s practice and he was unable to participate in Friday’s practice because of it. Despite the questionable tag, Boldin told San Francisco beat reporters that there was “no doubt” he would play. There are too many question marks surrounding Boldin to consider starting him. The Rams do a great job defending the passing game and he’s not going to be at 100%.
The Rams have given up the second least amount of fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season which means Colin Kaepernick is going to have another rough afternoon. The 49ers will struggle to pass the ball and won’t have a credible option to run. St. Louis’ defense is among the highest ranked for a reason. Don’t trick yourself into thinking Reggie Bush, Anquan Boldin or any of the other San Francisco offensive players will turn into a fantasy football treat this weekend.