Week Two of the 2011 NFL season is upon us and most of you are either 1-0 or 0-1 (apologies to any ties out there). We've seen some early injuries create adjustments on the fly whether you're dealing with Steven Jackson, Arian Foster or the 49ers own Michael Crabtree. Foster is looking more and more like he'll play while the other two are questionable at best.
The 49ers will host the Dallas Cowboys in a game featuring old rivals with a lot of room for improvement. The 49ers defense and special teams absolutely blew up last week against the Seattle Seahawks, but could find itself with a serious dogfight against Dallas. The 49ers offense struggled mightily last week and it remains to be seen what exactly they are capable of on a week-to-week basis. You should continue start Vernon Davis and Frank Gore, but the rest of the offense leaves open some question marks.
START
Frank Gore
numberFire.com Projections: 9.60 FP - 51.70 rushing yards, 0.28 rushing touchdowns, 3.25 receptions, 24.14 receiving yards, 0.06 receiving touchdowns
Analysis: If the 49ers are going to beat the Cowboys they may have to get a bit more crazy through the air, but they'll need a big game on the ground to keep Tony Romo and company off the field. The Cowboys have more talent on display and time of possession could prove key. Gore struggled against Seattle but he remains a must-start as the 49ers are set on riding him as a workhorse.
Vernon Davis
numberFire.com Projections: 7.49 FP - 4.09 receptions, 50.39 receiving yards, 0.41 touchdowns
Analysis: Vernon Davis quietly put together five receptions and 47 yards last week, leading an otherwise anemic offense. The 49ers may have to open things up a bit more if they're going to hang with the Cowboys and Vernon Davis would be a prime possibility to benefit. He remains a must-start.
49ers Defense
numberFire Projections: 7.81 FP - 19.05 pts allowed, 2.16 sacks, 1.75 turnovers, 0.19 touchdowns
Analysis: The 49ers defense/special teams absolutely blew up against the Seahawks thanks primarily to a pair of Ted Ginn Jr. touchdown returns, but also due to five sacks, two fumble recoveries and an interception. The 49ers won't get return touchdowns every week, but they've shown an aggressiveness that will provide a decent amount of sacks and turnovers during the season. They may give up big points in a game, but the extra points will be there for the taking.
David Akers
numberFire.com Projections: 6.82 FP - 1.31 FGs made, 2.38 XPs made
Analysis: Akers had a solid debut for the 49ers with four field goals and three extra points. The 49ers offense showed tremendous red zone difficulties, which bodes well for Akers fantasy value.
SIT
In all honesty, everybody else on the 49ers should be sat until the offense proves it can become more efficient and productive. Of all the 49ers, Braylon Edwards is probably the biggest start option, but we don't really know what to expect from the offense this week. The 49ers will need to open things up to hang with a potential high flying Cowboys offense, which could help the likes of Edwards, Alex Smith and a few other players.
For now though, it's a developing process and it is entirely possible it somehow clicks and goes off like gangbusters this weekend. As a 49ers fan I would thoroughly enjoy that. Unfortunately, I'm not holding my breath. Consider me at a point where I have to see it to believe it.
Our weekly 49ers sit/start suggestions are based on a combination of our knowledge as fans and the weekly projections of numberFire.com. Head over to numberFire.com to get a full breakdown of their weekly projections.