Alex Smith

Written on 2:25 PM by Admin

alex smith 49ers, shaun hill, mario williams, owen daniels, fantasy sports yahoo

Alex Smith replaces Hill as 49ers fall to Texans

Sunday, October 25, 2009

It looks like San Francisco's coaching staff has seen enough of Shaun Hill.

Backup Alex Smith started the third quarter as the 49ers quarterback, but a 21-point halftime deficit and a disappointing return for Frank Gore cost San Francisco in its 24-21 loss at Houston.

Hill finished with 45 passing yards. Smith proved to be more effective in leading the 49ers' comeback with 206 yards and three touchdowns. And Gore (ankle) had 47 total yards after missing two games.

There were also a few other crazy fantasy-worthy events in that game.

Vernon Davis hauled in three touchdown passes to go along with 93 yards receiving and seven catches. And Michael Crabtree made his pro debut and had five catches for 56 yards.

So how does all this shakeout for fantasy owners? Davis and Gore are solid fantasy options. Don't read too much into Smith's solid game. Crabtree should still be considered an emergency starting option.

For the Texans, Matt Schaub's fantasy value remains high with 264 passing yards and two touchdowns. Schaub's favorite target of the day was Owen Daniels, who had seven catches for 123 yards and a touchdown. He's one of the five-best tight ends in the league right now.

Andre Johnson (chest) had just two catches for 62 yards and left the field in the fourth quarter. Monitor his injury status duringthe week.

Teammate Steve Slaton had 89 total yards and two touchdowns but continued to struggle holding onto the football. He lost his only fumble of the day and is near the top of the league in fumbles by running backs. He's still should be considered a borderline RB1/RB2.

Next week the Texans travel to Buffalo where the swirling winds have plagued opposing quarterbacks, but Schaub still deserves a start. All of Houston's other key fantasy players should be in your lineup. For the 49ers, they travel to Indianapolis. It should be interesting to see how coach Mike Singletary handled the sudden quarterback quandary.