Sit St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson this week at San Francisco. There’s nothing that leans in Jackson’s favor in Week 13 — he’s going up against the NFL’s best rush defense and is doing so having not rushed for over 64 yards the last two weeks or having scored in the last month.
The 49ers are the best team against fantasy running backs this season — by almost a full three points per game average ahead of Atlanta. San Francisco has allowed just one touchdown to a running back this season and that came out of the passing game. The 49ers have given up just 674 rushing yards on 198 carries (3.4 YPC).
And in more recent weeks, the 49ers are a top-six team against fantasy running backs the last five weeks, and only two more teams ahead of them have seen more rushing attempts in that time. San Francisco has been run against 91 times for 337 yards (3.7 YPC) and of course no TDs.
The one saving grace for Jackson would be what San Francisco allows in the passing game. The 49ers have allowed 34 catches to running backs — the most of any team — over the last five weeks for 244 yards. Overall this season, San Francisco entered Week 13 allowing the fourth-most receptions to backs (62) for the 10th most yards (474).
The problem is: Us PPR folks still waiting for the 90-catch Steven Jackson of 2006 to return, it is just not happening. He has caught just 26 balls this season for 151 yards and one score. Since the 90-catch season, Jackson has not caught above 50 balls for more than 379 yards and has just three receiving scores since 2006.
And that’s just what we would like to see as a pass catcher out of Jackson. He has problems just as a running back right now. After a three-week run of 25-plus carries and 128-plus yard games — 25-159-2, 29-130-0, 27-128-0 —he has dropped off with 15-42-0 and 17-64-0 the last two weeks. San Francisco has seen a 20-plus carry back just once this season — last week when Ray Rice carried 21 times for 59 yards and added three catches for 24 yards and a 9.8-point fantasy day. The 59 yards is the second-most San Francisco has allowed this season.
Add in that his starting QB, Sam Bradford, is not likely to play (ankle) and this is a no-brainer sit for Jackson.
By Corby A. Yarbrough @Corby_Yarbrough on Twitter
