The San Francisco 49ers head into week three coming off a brutal loss to Dallas and now traveling to face a Cincinnati Bengals squad that has a lot of question marks but could be incredibly dangerous. They have played stout defense while Andy Dalton and A.J. Green look to hook up all day long.
The 49ers offense has been inconsistent with flashes of greatness mixed with some truly god-awful performances. Their remain some intriguing options, but it's growing more and more limited until they prove they can get it together. It is worth noting that wide receiver Braylon Edwards had a procedure on his knee that could bench him for two to four weeks so he definitely will not be playing on Sunday.
START
Frank Gore
numberFire.com Projections: 11.27 FP - 61.99 rushing yards, 0.37 rushing touchdowns, 3.16 receptions, 23.69 receiving yards, 0.08 receiving touchdowns
Analysis: Gore has gotten off to an abysmal start with some questioning his legs, some questioning the offensive line and some questioning both. It's hard to tell what exactly is the issue and we're fast approaching the time when it might be time to start benching him until he proves otherwise. I'd say give it one more week for now.
Vernon Davis
numberFire.com Projections: 7.52 FP - 4.24 receptions, 51.74 receiving yards, 0.39 touchdowns
Analysis: Davis has had a slow start to the season and faces a potentially tough matchup against former 49ers OLB Manny Lawson. Nonetheless, with Braylon Edwards out and Michael Crabtree somewhat limited practice, I think the 49ers find a way to get the ball to VD.
49ers Defense
numberFire Projections: 7.74 FP - 18.84 pts allowed, 2.14 sacks, 1.73 turnovers, 0.19 touchdowns
Analysis: Andy Dalton and the Bengals offense are off to a solid start, but there is almost always upside for a defense facing a rookie. The 49ers will pressure the young man and there is the potential for big points on sacks and turnovers. It could blow up in your face, but I think the upside is tremendous.
David Akers
numberFire.com Projections: 8.19 FP - 1.57 FGs made, 2.86 XPs made
Analysis: Akers has always been fantastic inside the 40, but last week against the Cowboys he proved he could still bang 'em from deep, drilling a 55-yard field goal. He's one of the safest kicking options out there right now.
Ted Ginn Jr.
numberFire.com Projections: 4.18 FP - 2.46 receptions, 27.23 receiving yards, 0.24 touchdowns
Analysis: This is a deep sleeper pick for this Sunday. Against the Cowboys, Ginn appeared to become Alex Smith's go-to receiver after Edwards went down. I think we could see Smith continue going to him this week. And if you get points for touchdown returns, there's always the chance he returns a punt or kick against the somewhat questionable Bengals special teams.
SIT
Aside from Ginn, just about everybody else is a sit this week. Michael Crabtree is likely making his return to the field, but we don't know what he'll put together after the second layoff. For now the 49ers are a fairly limited fantasy potential outside of Davis and Gore. Ginn might be working his way into it, but he could be back in this group by Monday.
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.