The San Francisco 49ers (2-4) picked up ground on the Seattle Seahawks (2-4) and Arizona Cardinals (4-2) with Sunday’s 25-20 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, but it was the performance of Colin Kaepernick that stood out.
For the second straight week, the dual-threat signal-caller put up impressive throwing numbers for fantasy owners and continued a bounce-back effort after he threw zero touchdowns and five interceptions in Weeks 3 and 4. Kaepernick wasn’t the only San Francisco playmaker to finish with formidable numbers, as receivers Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith also provided fantasy boosts.
Here is a look at the final tallies for each and some reaction.
Colin Kaepernick
In theory, Kaepernick’s ability to run is where his fantasy value comes from compared to other quarterbacks, but he did it all with his arm Sunday. It was an encouraging follow-up to the 262 passing yards, two touchdowns and zero picks in his last outing after two disastrous efforts in the previous contests.
It is boom-or-bust at this point for the former Nevada star, which is a risky proposition for fantasy owners.
While Kaepernick is often criticized for his tendency to make mistakes, he topped 3,000 passing yards in each of the last two seasons and is a threat to put up solid rushing numbers any given week.
Still, that feast-or-famine nature of his game this season means he is far from a guaranteed start in fantasy circles, but you could do much worse as a bye-week replacement or injury insurance at quarterback than a rushing threat with two consecutive 3,000 passing-yard seasons.
Anquan Boldin
Boldin made a career of consistent production and put up at least 837 receiving yards in each of the last 10 seasons. He also boasts seven different campaigns with more than 1,000 receiving yards and flashed some of the talent that led to such an impressive resume during Sunday’s game.
The team-high nine targets from Sunday’s victory are also encouraging for fantasy owners. Like Kaepernick, Boldin is bouncing back after disappointing showings in Weeks 3 and 4, when he combined for 28 receiving yards. He cracked the century mark in the last two outings.
With the uptick in production and the incredible track record in place, it is easier to trust Boldin than Kaepernick after inconsistent production in the first six weeks. The fact Kaepernick targeted Boldin so many times and it worked in victory means the pass-catcher will likely see plenty of looks moving forward.
That is music to the ears of fantasy owners.
Torrey Smith
Smith doesn’t have the tenure of Boldin, but he already compiled an impressive fantasy track record of his own with at least 767 receiving yards in each of his first four seasons and a 1,128-yard campaign under his belt.
The problem for Smith in 2015 is the lack of targets. The six he saw Sunday marked the second most of his entire campaign behind the seven he notched in Week 2. It is not much of a surprise that those were his two best weeks from a fantasy perspective, with a combined 216 receiving yards and both of his touchdowns.
He only tallied a combined 107 receiving yards in San Francisco’s other four games.
It is difficult to trust the 2015 version of Smith as a must-start for fantasy purposes until he receives consistent targets.
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