The 49ers have been churning through skill position guys all season, especially at running back. But the wheel has come back around for Jeff Wilson recently, and it might do so in a big way on Sunday.
Wilson split the work with Raheem Mostert last week, with Tevin Coleman and Jerick McKinnon combining to play just 2 snaps on offense. But Mostert was having an MRI on his ankle yesterday, something you generally don't do when you're feeling fine. So it could be Wilson as San Francisco's lead back this week, and he might be available in some fantasy leagues. Grab him if you can.
The Niners are in Dallas, facing the league's bottom-ranked run defense. In Dallas' last 10 games, opposing lead running backs have generally put up big numbers. The exceptions were James Conner (and Pittsburgh can't run on anyone right now) and the Bengals committee last week.
| LEAD RUNNING BACKS VERSUS DALLAS, LAST 10 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Att | Yds | Avg | TD |
| Kareem Hunt | 11 | 71 | 6.5 | 2 |
| Devonta Freeman | 17 | 60 | 3.5 | 1 |
| Kenyan Drake | 20 | 164 | 8.2 | 2 |
| Antonio Gibson | 20 | 128 | 6.4 | 1 |
| Boston Scott | 15 | 70 | 4.7 | 0 |
| James Conner | 9 | 22 | 2.4 | 0 |
| Dalvin Cook | 27 | 115 | 4.3 | 1 |
| Antonio Gibson | 20 | 115 | 5.8 | 3 |
| Gus Edwards | 7 | 101 | 14.4 | 0 |
| Trayveon Williams | 12 | 49 | 4.1 | 0 |
Six of those 10 running backs scored, five rushed for over 100 yards. Six also rushed for at least 4.7 yards per attempt. Great situation for Mostert if the MRI turns out to be nothing. Great situation for Wilson if the regular starter is sidelined.
--Andy Richardson