Slowly but surely, the San Francisco 49ers are moving on from Frank Gore. The running back continues to be one of their biggest offensive threats, but his legs are getting to the wrong end of the NFL age scale. While the 31-year-old will likely enter the season as the starting running back, a slew of young guns are looking to take plenty of his carries away and San Francisco is committed to seeing that through.
Fantasy football owners should pay attention because Gore will not be putting up the big numbers in 2014. Last year, Gore totaled 1,128 yards off 276 carries. That will not happen again. ESPN's John Clayton is reporting that Gore's carries are expected to drop big time as San Francisco begins to work in younger backs to the rotation. Clayton writes that team sources believe Gore could get at least 50 fewer carries than last season and could be seen as more of a backup than anything.
Heading into training camp, head coach Jim Harbaugh is more sold on the idea of a rotation including Marcus Lattimore and Carlos Hyde over the veteran. Lattimore is finally returning after sitting out his rookie season after a gruesome leg injury ended his college career early. He is back on the field and expected to make an impact immediately. The same goes for Hyde who was a second-round draft pick out of Ohio State. Not to mention the 49ers also have Kendall Hunter and LaMichael James in the mix.
Gore is reaching the final year of his contract. There had been speculation that he might get traded, but that appears to not be the case. However, that does not mean he is guaranteed a starting job. Gore will still be a mainstay on the field, but fantasy owners would be wise to make him their secondary running back rather than a starter.
If anyone is getting traded from the crowded running back roster it is James. The former Oregon Heisman trophy nominee has not been happy with the team. He sat out a portion of offseason workouts hoping it might result in a trade, but so far the 49ers have not made a move. The running back has barely been used despite his strong college resume. James wants to play and if that means getting traded from San Francisco then he welcomes it. Right now, the 49ers are not showing any signs of putting James into the starting lineup which could result in a trade or flat-out release.