San Francisco 49ers veteran running back, Frank Gore, has been a staple to the 49ers offense for nine years. Drafted as a third round pick out of Miami, the 49ers selected well with Gore, despite the fact he was prone to injuries during his college career. Currently, Gore serves as the primary running back for the 49ers, and he has overall produced solid, consistent numbers since starting with the team in 2005. For anyone who thought once Gore hit the dreaded 30 year-old age mark that he would have slowed down, that hasn’t been the case for the durable running back.
With age has come improvement, as clearly established in Gore’s past three seasons with the 49ers. Gore has posted nearly 3,500 rushing yards, 25 touchdowns and averaged 272 touches per game. If you are a Gore fan in fantasy football, and have taken your chances with him over the years, you have been rewarded with high-end RB2 results on a regular basis.
With the numbers Gore attains year after year, it would seem somewhat risky to mess with what appears to be a good thing for the 49ers. However, it makes sense to have other capable running back options should something happen to Gore. There also is the possibility the team decides to keep him preserved in 2014 and split some of his carries with one of the teams’ younger running backs.
Obviously from a fantasy football standpoint, the words “split the carries” do not sit well with those who draft a team’s starter with hopes that their top pick rewards high-end fantasy points. If a potential split in duties were to happen in 2014, let’s speculate on exactly which running back could potentially steal some of Gore’s spotlight.
We all know the team has fellow back Marcus Lattimore waiting on the sidelines, literally, since that is where he spent his rookie season in 2013 sidelined due to a nasty knee injury. Lattimore, now recovered from his injury, has made it extremely well-known that he strives to take Gore’s job from him. In addition to Lattimore, the 49ers still have Kendall Hunter on their roster, who is starting his fourth year with the team. However, due to Gore’s solid durability, Hunter hasn’t carried the ball much since joining the team.
Despite Hunter and Lattimore as possible heirs to Gore’s throne, the 49ers still found it in their best interest to draft rookie Carlos Hyde in the 2014 NFL Draft. While Lattimore possesses tailback strength and the pass-catching capability of Gore, Hyde is a bit taller, and is excellent in pass protection. Additionally, Hyde turned heads in recent minicamps showcasing his exceptional pass-catching skills as well.
The 49ers obviously recognized special talent when they drafted Hyde, who in his last two college seasons at Ohio State, racked up nearly 2,500 rushing yards, and had 31 rush touchdowns, overall averaging a sweet 6.2 yards per carry.
While Hyde boasts amazing statistics and play-making ability, Gore is still very much in the game, as he claims he is nowhere near ready to stop playing. For now, it appears Gore has a tight grip on his starting job, and Hyde, due to his size, could be used for some goal line work in late downs. Training camps kick off in just a couple of weeks, so Gore and Hyde will be quite the names abuzz as curious fans await to see if Hyde, or any of the current 49ers running backs show the potential to de-throne Gore in 2014.
When drafting Gore for fantasy football this season, it would be wise to be open to the fact his numbers could take a drop this year with Hyde’s presence on the team. If Hyde gets some of the goal line work, Gore’s touchdowns will take a hit, and so will his fantasy points. Keeping this in mind, Gore deems worthy of being drafted as a flex with upside potential. Hyde should only be drafted in late rounds, and if he sees some significant action, he could be a dark horse whose investment will reap a valuable return.