With no Monday Night Football this week, the final game of the fantasy season between the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers will be the last chance for teams to gain points that could potentially sway a championship.
There are playoff and division implications in this game, which is one reason why it flexed into the national spotlight on NBC. The 49ers would love to try and lock up the division title, while the Seahawks would love to show San Francisco that they aren't the only power house in the West anymore.
QUARTERBACK
Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
The 49ers have one of the toughest defenses in football, but Wilson has been extremely impressive as a rookie, especially over the past two weeks. The Seahawks have scored 108 points in the past two games and have won three in a row. Wilson has been a huge part of the teams success this season and posted 39.03 points last week in the win over Buffalo.
Wilson has scored at least 20 fantasy points in three of the past four games and has 232 on the season. He has been a threat throwing the ball, but also on the ground rushing for 402 yards and three touchdowns. The 49ers five up the fifth fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks, but the Seahawks are playing at home where things are much tougher on opponents. San Francisco gives up just 201 passing yards per game through the air and are holding opponents to just 15.6 points per game.
Earlier this season Wilson had a rough game against the 49ers, posting just eight fantasy points. He has grown as a passer and a leader since then and should have a solid game tonight for Seattle. This season he has thrown for 21 touchdowns and just nine interceptions and has 2,697 yards through the air.
Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers
Kaepernick is coming off of his best game as a starter, but he too will face a tough defense on Sunday night when he takes on the Seahawks. Last week in the win against the Patriots, Kaepernick passed for 221 yards and four touchdowns and also added 28 yards on the ground.
He won himself NFC Offensive Player of the Week and posted a team-high 28.17 fantasy points. Kaepernick has earned double-digit fantasy points in six straight games and hasn't posted less than 14 in the past three weeks. The Seattle defense is a tough challenge, but he can be a threat on the ground just like Wilson.
The Seahawks are ranked third in passing defense and have given up the fewest points to quarterbacks in fantasy this season. Kaepernick has been extremely efficient since taking over the starting job from Alex Smith and has thrown seven touchdowns and just two interceptions over that span.
RUNNING BACK
Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers
Gore has been one of the most consistent fantasy running backs in football this season and should see a nice amount of touches on Sunday night. He gained 18.57 points in the win last week over the Patriots and has posted double-digit fantasy points in four straight games.
The last time the two teams played Gore had a great game, gaining 182 total yards and grabbing five receptions while posting 21.50 points in the Week 7 matchup. Over the past three games Gore has scored two touchdowns and has scored seven total on the season. He has rushed for 1,118 yards this year and also been a threat out of the backfield, making 25 receptions for 213 yards and one touchdown.
The Seattle defense is giving up the seventh-fewest fantasy points to running backs, but Gore has had success against them in the past. The Seahawks are giving up 106 rushing yards per game, but have been stellar over the past two games, allowing just 17 total points.
Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks
Apart from Adrian Peterson, Lynch has been the most impressive running back in the NFL this season. He has rushed for 1,379 yards and 10 touchdowns this year while posting 225 fantasy points. Lynch is the 13-overall ranked player and has been on a ht streak lately, scoring double-digit fantasy points in eight of the past nine games.
Last week against Buffalo he had 19.23 fantasy points and posted 30.80 the previous week in a 58-0 demolishing of the Cardinals. He faces a tough matchup against the 49ers this week, but he posted over 100 yards and a touchdown in this matchup in Week 16 last year and had 103 yards rushing in the game earlier this season in Week 7.
The San Francisco defense only gives up 91 yards per game, but allowed New England to rack up 34 points last week and could be vulnerable in a tough Seahawks stadium on Sunday night.