Alex Smith: Fantasy Owners Shouldn't Continue to Waste a Roster Spot on 49ers QB

Having Alex Smith on your fantasy team was a questionable decision to start with—but it's safe to cut ties with the mediocre QB since he's no longer the man under center for the San Francisco 49ers, according to Sports Illustrated's Jim Trotter (among others):

"

BREAKING: Jim Harbaugh has informed Alex Smith that Colin Kaepernick will start Sunday, per source. Said decision not based on health.

— Jim Trotter (@SI_JimTrotter) November 22, 2012"

None of us should be surprised by this, especially those who had Smith on their fantasy rosters.

Alex Smith doesn't win games for the 49ers—he simply doesn't lose them. The same can be said for how he impacts your fantasy squad.

He's been fairly irrelevant as far as fantasy QBs go throughout his career and especially in 2012, where his fantasy output is about equal to that of the New York Jets' Mark Sanchez and the Cleveland Browns' Brandon Weeden.

Matt Cassel has more passing yards than Alex Smith does; Russell Wilson has thrown for more touchdowns than Smith.

You wouldn't start any of those quarterbacks in any given week, much less carry them on your roster—so why is Smith any different?

Because, unlike the Jets, Browns, Chiefs and Seahawks, the 49ers are an "elite" team?

Because Smith has weapons around him like Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree and Frank Gore?

He's averaged 192 passing yards per game with them surrounding him in 2012.

If you've still got Smith on your fantasy roster, he's wasting space. Try your hand with someone else as your backup QB or your third-string QB.

Colin Kaepernick is the new starter in San Francisco—and he may never relinquish that role.

Smith belongs on the waiver wire, where someone else in your league can waste their time waiting for him to put up numbers befitting a player taken with the first overall selection in a NFL draft.