Frank Gore, Carlos Hyde's Instant Fantasy Reaction Following Week 9

Week 9 was one to forget for fantasy football owners who invested valuable resources in San Francisco running backs Frank Gore and Carlos Hyde.

The 49ers saw it fit in the eventual loss to run the ball just 21 times compared to 33 passes, which hurt both the veteran and rookie in a big way in the fantasy department:

	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	Fantasy Pts.
F. Gore	14	49	3.5	0	4
C. Hyde	2	17	8.5	0	1

First, the easy part—the rookie Hyde remains a non-factor as a result of the performance. He gave owners a bit of hope with 11 points in his debut way back in Week 1, but he has since only scored more than four points in an outing once.

Gore is a bit more confusing—and encouraging. Owners got burned, but they may be looking to unload now that Gore has three straight performances with a maximum of four points. Those in need should buy low considering Gore next gets New Orleans and the New York Giants, two teams that rank among the 12 worst in terms of points allowed to backs.

Now, there is an inherent risk. For one reason or another the coaching staff in San Francisco absolutely refuses to use either back consistently, instead opting to take to the air weekly. With the game on the line, the staff ignored Gore against St. Louis, as Bleacher Report's Matt Miller illustrated:

Part of Gore's value as a buy-low candidate is placing faith in the fact the staff will see the error in its ways. But good matchups and a proven veteran are hard to ignore at a shaky position, so nabbing Gore is a risk-reward play worth the investment.

At the very least, it is quite apparent Gore is not losing his job to the rookie just yet.

All scoring info courtesy of ESPN standard leagues, as is points-against info and ownership stats. Statistics courtesy of ESPN.