2012 Fantasy Football Sit/Start: Seattle's defense poses tough challenge for Niners

On Thursday night, the Niners will host the Seattle Seahawks in a very important game for NFC West supremacy. There is a three-way tie atop the division, with the Cardinals tied with the Niners and Seattle for first place. A win would give the Niners the upper hand in the division going forward. However, it will not be an easy task as Seattle's defense is the real deal. They are sixth overall in total defense, right behind San Francisco, and third in rush defense. They are second in points allowed, and 13th against the pass.

So it would seem that it would be tough going for the Niners to accumulate many fantasy points here. The Niners rarely lose twice, and the first time they lost they blew out their opponent the following week. With that in mind, here are the players you should start:

START: Niners defense. I still don't buy into Wilson as an elite quarterback, and the Niners generally eat non-elite quarterbacks for breakfast. The defense will be itching to prove themselves after a horrible showing against New York and will be out for blood. Look for them to dictate the pace of the game and impose their will.

START: Frank Gore. The Niners were down early against the Giants and didn't run as much as usual. This should be a close game, which means lots of rushing. Look for Gore to have a big fantasy day.

And now the players to sit:

SIT: Alex Smith. Seattle has an excellent pass defense and a great pass rush. I don't see Smith being the catalyst for the offense, but rather playing the dink and dunk game. I would avoid him in all leagues this week.