One of the toughest things about fantasy football in general is deciding whether to not play someone for the early Thursday game, as that one move could affect how the matchup goes through Monday and on Thursday night football with the St. Louis Rams and San Francisco 49ers playing, owners are debating whether or not to start Colin Kaepernick or Sam Bradford.
Thursday games can go both ways, as owners sometimes would rather bank on Sunday and Monday to ensure that they don't fall behind too much on Thursday, as a top player who has a bad game could sink a matchup before it even starts. For example, on one of my teams I have Colin Kaepernick and Matt Schaub as my quarterbacks, leaving me with the choice of playing one early or saving one for Sunday.
The argument could go both ways, but if Kaepernick has a bad game, the week could end before it even begins. Even if Schaub has a bad game, at least it's bunched in with everyone else, but if Kaepernick struggles again, like he has the past couple weeks, my 0-3 teams will quickly drop to 0-4. Either way, it's a tough thing to deal with, so let's look at the two quarterbacks and see if they are worth starting in Week 4.
Kaepernick started off the season with a bang, throwing for 412 yards and three touchdowns against the Green Bay Packers, making fantasy owners very excited about what he could do for a full season after leading his team to the Super Bowl last year against the Baltimore Ravens in New Orleans. Since the opening game, things have not gone all that well, as Kaepernick has completed less than 50 percent of his passes in each contest and has also been at 150 yards or lower in both as well.
After rushing for 87 yards against the Seattle Seahawks he rushed for just 20 against the Colts and made only 13 of 27 completions for 150 yards and now he will have to rebound against a team that did not lose to the Niners last year. While the Rams still are not a perfect team, they play the division very tough and the 49ers know that after losing one game and finishing tied in the other last season and now the quarterback will try and help stave off a three game losing streak, the first under coach Jim Harbaugh.
The 49ers offense has not been as consistent as last season, ranking 23rd in passing yards per game and 19th in rushing yards per game through three contests and now they will try and fix the fact that offense has generated just 10 points over the past two weeks. The team has three road games in the next five weeks and this win will be huge to get.
Bradford has had an up and down start to the season, throwing for 352 yards in Week 2 against the Falcons, but throwing for only one TD last week as the Cowboys beat up the Rams 31-7. This week Bradford faces off against a tough defense in San Francisco and a solid secondary and if you have another player on the bench or can snag someone as a free agent, that is likely the best move.
Bradford has six touchdowns and two picks this season and is completing over 60 percent of his passes and while the team is playing at home, the 49ers look primed for a win to get off the schnide and Bradford might end up getting caught in the middle of that. Be cautious, so kind of a maybe start option if needed.
Consensus:
START: Kaepernick, he can't be as bad as the last two weeks...right?
SIT: Bradford. He could have a solid game, but the 49ers d is still good and more quarterbacks are on the market if needed.
