The San Francisco 49ers, a team decimated by injuries, need every player back as soon a possible. One position that has been hit the hardest by the injury bug is the running back position that would typically be led by Raheem Mostert. Since sustaining a sprained MCL Week 2 against the New York Jets, Mostert has hoped to play this week. If he is active, can you trust starting Mostert in fantasy football in Week 4?
Update: The 49ers final injury report lists Mostert as out for Sunday’s game in Week 4. However, keep reading for more on Mostert and his season outlook.
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During the first two weeks of the season, Raheem Mostert was the unquestioned RB1
There has always been a narrative surrounding Kyle Shanahan and that he uses a committee approach that limits a player’s upside. While that is true in a sense, Raheem Mostert was and still is, the fantasy running back you want on your team.
While only playing in two games, Mostert put together solid performances. He rushed 23 times for 148 yards and a touchdown and caught six of his seven targets for 110 yards and a touchdown.
Even though he missed their Week 3 game against the New York Giants, Mostert remains one of only five running backs who have over 100 yards rushing and receiving on the season. Joined only by Alvin Kamara, Austin Ekeler, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and James Robinson.
When looking at his own team, through two weeks, Mostert saw the lions share of work. Mostert had seen 30 total targets (rushes + targets), compared to Tevin Coleman at 20 and Jerick McKinnon at only 12. The story remains consistent when you look at snap counts as well.
In Week 1, Mostert led the 49ers backfield with 60% of the snaps compared to McKinnon at 31% and Coleman at only 10%. In Week 2, we saw a very similar trend continuing before his knee injury took Moster out of the game. Mostert’s sprained MCL has always been viewed as a multi-week injury; the first real possibility for his return was his upcoming game Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. The question is, will Mostert be avaliable for fantasy managers in Week 4?
Friday’s injury report will be the determining factor on if Mostert will play in Week 4
It will all come down to Friday’s injury report. Mostert did not participate in the team’s Thursday practice and has not gotten any reps since his initial injury.
After failing to practice at any point last week while managing the sprained MCL, Mostert wasn’t able to take a significant step forward in the 49ers’ first portion of Week 4 preparation. Unless he takes a step forward and we see that Mostert can practice Friday, he will likely be determined as out for Sunday. If he does get some work in, we could see his designating set as questionable and remain a game-time decision.
There seems to be a strong likelihood that Raheem Mostert will miss his second straight game
With Mostert out and Coleman on injured reserve, McKinnon and Jeff Wilson are the top two backs on the depth chart. McKinnon was the lead back in Week 3 against the Giants before a rib injury slowed him late. In the game, McKinnon had 77 total yards and a touchdown, while Wilson had 69 total yards and two touchdowns.
JaMycal Hasty is the third back and would get additional work if McKinnon was unable to go in Week 4.
McKinnon will come into the game as a lower-tier RB2 with Wilson as a flex play as they go up against the 0-2-1 Eagles.
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Tommy Garrett is a writer for PFN covering Fantasy Football. You can read more of his work here and follow him at @TommygarrettPFN on Twitter.