The Thursday night football game this week on the NFL Network is an interesting matchup of two NFC West ball clubs and with the San Francisco 49ers coming off two straight losses, the team needs a win as it travels to St. Louis to play the Rams.
Last season the Rams did not lose to the Niners in two contests, winning one and finishing the other tied and now San Francisco is making the trek to the Edward Jones Dome for the Thursday night matchup. Fantasy football owners are watching this game closely, as there are a number of important players and injuries to keep an eye on, including Vernon Davis, who may not even play in the game on Thursday after missing last week's matchup with the Colts.
Another important player to watch out for is running back Frank Gore, as he is listed on the injury report for this game as probable and while he likely will play, he could be limited. Fantasy owners should look at Kendall Hunter as some insurance if Gore is injured in the game or isn't getting the ball as much and while he rushed for 82 yards last week against the Colts, the injury could keep him from putting up good numbers on Thursday.
This season Gore has done a good job while the offense has struggled, but he has only 142 yards on 41 carries, averaging just over 3.0 yards per attempt. Gore is coming off of his best rushing performance, but he hasn't scored a touchdown on the ground since the first week of the season and that could be a telling sign of why the team is struggling.
Colin Kaepernick has been struggling mightily over the last two games after having a big performance in Week 1, as he has thrown four interceptions and zero touchdowns over that span. He opened the season with a 412 yard, three touchdown performance that saw Anquan Boldin have a big game, but since then it has been quiet. Boldin made 13 catches for over 200 yards and a touchdown in that opening game, but since then he has had just six catches on 12 targets with no touchdowns and the 49ers really need both players to get going.
The Rams have some interesting players on offense to watch, especially Givens and Cook, as Sam Bradford plays much better at home and the turf at the dome could be very good for Givens, who has prime speed as a WR. This season Givens is averaging 20 yards per catch, but he has just nine catches for 186 yards and fantasy owners will be looking for him to step up. Givens had his best game against the Falcons, making eight catches for 105 yards, but he has yet to score a touchdown and in the other games he has just four catches for less than 100 yards.
Givens will likely get some solid looks on Thursday, as will Jared Cook, who could be a nice security blanket for Bradford when game time starts. This season he has been targeted 22 times and has made 13 catches for nearly 200 yards and he has also found the end zone twice, both coming in the opening win over the Cardinals. Cook had his best game in Week 1, making seven catches for 141 yards and two scores, but since then he has had just six catches for 54 yards and could be poised for a breakout. Keep an eye on rookie Tavon Austin as well, as he has 18 catches for 118 yards this season.