| Are you ready for a fantasy fireworks show? While
both the Rams’ and 49ers’ defenses have improved significantly this season, I
doubt too many people will be taking the "under" this Sunday at the Dome at
America’s Center, where the points figure to pile up pretty quickly.
Just how quickly?
Even if the Niners attempt to slow down the game’s pace and control the clock with
their powerful ground game, I still wouldn’t be surprised if as many as five or six
players in this game rack up double-digit fantasy points. Considering how thoroughly the
Rams ended up dismantling the Falcons in their 35-6 victory at the Georgia Dome last
Sunday, it’s easy to dismiss the fact that Atlanta actually had the ball for nearly
21 minutes in the first half. Despite the Falcons’ dominating time of possession, the
Rams finished the game with 422 total yards — and a whopping 9.4-yard average gain
per play.
The Niners, meanwhile, trounced Buffalo at home in a 35-0 whitewash last Sunday night,
picking up 409 yards while once again getting stellar performances from "the Bay Area
Triplets" — QB Jeff Garcia, RB Garrison Hearst and WR Terrell Owens.
If the 49ers-Rams game this Sunday ends up being a defensive slugfest, then I’ll
change my name to Chris Fuamatu-Ma’afala (sorry, just couldn’t resist mentioning
the best football name to come down the pike since Fair Hooker).
Who will be the deadliest fantasy weapons this Sunday in one of the biggest games of
the year so far? I’ll give you my opinion, in order of each player’s potential
explosiveness:
WR Terrell Owens (49ers) — By his own admission, Owens’
ineffectiveness was a major reason the Niners dropped a 30-26 decision to the Rams at 3Com
Park on Sept. 23. In that game, the Niners dropped nine catchable passes, including four
by Owens, who went into a big-time funk after the game, sitting in front of his locker for
more than an hour in stony silence. Since that game, all he’s done is score a
league-high 13 touchdowns while averaging seven catches for 100 yards per game. Not only
will Owens be motivated to the hilt to make amends this time around and show he’s as
good — if not better — than any of the Rams’ considerably talented pass
catchers, he’ll be facing a banged-up Rams secondary, especially at the safety
positions.
RB Marshall Faulk (Rams) — After being underutilized in the Rams’
Monday-night loss at home to the Buccaneers for reasons only head coach Mike Martz can
explain, Faulk bounced back with a vintage performance vs. the Falcons, picking up 198
yards rushing and receiving with three TD catches — and a scintillating 11-yard
average every time he touched the ball. Faulk gained 184 total yards in the first
Rams-49ers game this season. Look for him to line up all over the place in a plethora of
formations that will drive the Niners’ young defense nuts.
QB Jeff Garcia (49ers) — Making a bona fide bid for MVP honors, Garcia has
at least two TD passes in each of the Niners’ last eight games. And while his
mobility isn’t 100 percent at the moment, he looks as though he has regained the
considerable threat he poses as a scrambling TD maker. After rushing for two yards in four
games because of a sprained knee that required him to wear a protective brace, Garcia
rushed for 18 yards in four carries vs. Buffalo. In the first game vs. the Rams this year,
he was the Niners’ most effective runner (seven carries for 45 yards and a TD),
although it should be noted Garrison Hearst missed most of that game after suffering a
first-quarter concussion.
WR Torry Holt (Rams) — Holt is the hottest Rams receiver at the moment (10
catches for 205 yards and a TD the last two weeks), and all the Rams wideouts will be
going out of their way to punish the 49ers’ secondary, thanks to the blackboard
material San Francisco S Lance Schulters put together yesterday. "Their receivers do
not want to go across the middle and get hit," Schulters bellowed to the Bay Area
media. "They’re soft. You can put that in the paper. They want to be finesse.
They want to catch the ball and fall down or run out of bounds." Not very smart,
Lance!
WR Isaac Bruce (Rams) — Schulters’ trash talk, plus the fact Bruce
caught eight passes for 144 yards and a TD in the first game this season against the
Niners, figures to make Bruce a weapon to be reckoned with.
RB Garrison Hearst (49ers) — In the 49ers’ last five games, Hearst has
rushed for 549 yards, averaging 6.0 yards per carry in that span. He has rushed for three
touchdowns the last two weeks and remains a potent receiving threat out of the backfield.
WR J.J. Stokes (49ers) — If the Rams focus too much on Owens, Stokes could
be a huge factor. He had eight receptions vs. Buffalo and appears to getting hot at just
the right time.
Hey, even the defenses in this game have big-time fantasy potential, considering both
of them have rung up scores on turnovers on more than one occasion this season. And we all
know about the Rams and turnovers, right?
No doubt about it, folks. A real fantasy barn-burner beckons. |
