Frank Gore, Carlos Hyde's Instant Fantasy Reaction After Week 3

Week 3 was a strange one all the way around for the San Francisco 49ers running game, and an especially rough one for fantasy owners of Frank Gore or Carlos Hyde.

Expected to be a dynamic duo for the 49ers, neither Hyde nor Gore had huge performances. The two running backs combined for just 23 yards on nine total carries against the Arizona Cardinals in the 23-14 road loss.   

Christian Gin of Examiner.com summed up the afternoon for the tandem in one statistic:

USA TODAY Sports

Arizona's defense held both backs down on Sunday, coming away with another brilliant performance. The team moved to 3-0, but also proved it's a worthy adversary in the NFC West and a difficult matchup for fantasy players.

Here's a look at the statistics for both Niners backs:

Gore was stymied throughout the game, carrying the ball six times with the longest rush going for four yards. Coming off two consecutive 60-plus-yard performances, Gore struggled to find any consistency during his limited touches.

After the game, Gore was clearly upset as Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports:

"

Amid a stunned and silent locker room, running back Frank Gore, the 49ers’ longest-tenured position player, had little to say after the loss, pausing up to 10 seconds between questions before offering no answers. Finally, he waved off the media horde, saying, "I can’t talk right now. Sorry." Then he buried his head in his hands.

"

Rather than it being a sign of things to come, the disappointing showing might just be the result of a difficult matchup for the lead back. Patrick Daugherty of Rotoworld notes how Gore has performed against Arizona recently:

Player	Attempts	Rush Yards	TD
Frank Gore	6	10	0
Carlos Hyde	3	13	1

In the season finale last year, Gore ran for just 14 yards on 13 carries against the Cardinals.

The most concerning part for Gore owners might not be the lack of production, but rather the low touches. Hyde also saw a heightened role in the red zone on Sunday and came away with a touchdown.

Though neither had a great afternoon, it was Hyde that posted more fantasy points thanks to the visit to the end zone. Jeff Erickson of Rotowire notes his interest was piqued yet again in the rookie:

It's not likely that Hyde will necessarily overtake Gore this season, but he looked strong on the touchdown run. Both will continue to split touches, but Gore rarely ever posts the numbers he did on Sunday.

Gore has also had single-digit carries just once in 2013, so that shouldn't be a theme either. Look for the veteran back to rebound against the Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday with much better numbers.

As for Hyde, he continues to show glimpses of power in a limited role for fantasy owners. The rookie still needs to be stashed, but is a viable option for teams in desperate need of a flex option.

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