Michael Crabtree's Fantasy Trade Value, Updated Outlook Heading into Week 6

Michael Crabtree has become what fantasy football owners feared he would be: an unreliable option who has more bad games than good ones.

In five games this season, the San Francisco 49ers receiver has totaled 246 receiving yards and two touchdowns. This ranks him as the No. 34 player at his position in standard fantasy leagues, well below his average draft position as the No. 20 receiver on ESPN.

To make matters worse, most of this production came in two games where he managed 162 yards and two touchdowns. Otherwise, he has been limited to fewer than 50 yards in three different games. Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee noted how bad things were in the latest game:

He was clearly dealing with a foot injury that limited him to just 59.1 percent of snaps in the win against the Kansas City Chiefs, according to Rotoworld. Of course, the injury problems are another reason to distrust the receiver, who has played in 16 games just twice in the first five years of his career.

Still, the biggest issue with the receiver is his usage. Although he appears to be a top receiving option on the 49ers, he is actually tied with Anquan Boldin with 36 targets in 2014. Matt Maiocco of CSN noted his thoughts on the pair during the latest game:

Meanwhile, Stevie Johnson and Brandon Lloyd appear to be getting bigger roles within the offense over the past few weeks. Lloyd discussed his relationship with quarterback Colin Kaepernick after the Week 5 win, “I think we’re still developing our confidence and our chemistry with all levels of routes. The stuff in the heat of the battle helps. It all factors in as far as personality and understanding what we’re both capable of.”

Adding in Vernon Davis, who has been limited lately with a back injury, and there are too many mouths to feed in this offense.

Of course, this would not be a problem on a pass-heavy squad like the Denver Broncos or Indianapolis Colts. Unfortunately, San Francisco does not fit in this category, ranking 27th in the NFL in pass attempts this season. Only one of the five teams with fewer attempts is yet to have a bye (Houston Texans).

This makes Crabtree nothing more than one of many receiving options on a run-heavy team. He will have a few good games, but he is difficult to trust on a weekly basis.

As a result, the 49ers receiver is not someone you want on your fantasy team, killing you when he is in the lineup and frustrating you even more when he has a big game on your bench. If you do not have him, there is no reason to go after him.

On the other hand, the player is someone you can definitely get value for in a midseason trade. Even after his worst performance of the season, he still had two quality performances in the first five weeks. You could easily convince someone that his recent struggles are only related to the injury, and he will be better later in the year.

If you can part with Crabtree for a player with more upside (like Brandin Cooks or Cordarrelle Patterson), this would be a great way to set yourself up for more success for the rest of the season.

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