Colin Kaepernick: Should Fantasy Owners Claim 49ers QB off Waiver Wire?

When rookie quarterback Colin Kaepernick entered today's game against the Philadelphia Eagles in apparent relief of San Francisco 49ers signal-caller Alex Smith, some wondered if it signaled a changing of the guard and if head coach Jim Harbaugh had finally seen enough of Smith playing like, well, Alex Smith.

The switch turned out to be for only one play (a handoff to Frank Gore), but it at least raises the question of whether forward-thinking fantasy football owners in deeper leagues should consider a pre-emptive acquisition of Kaepernick, especially in light of the former Nevada star seeing extra practice reps with the first-team offense in practice recently.

The short answer is no.

First, while it's hard to call the former first-overall pick in the draft anything but a bust, Alex Smith almost certainly gives the San Francisco 49ers their best chance to win now, and the 49ers entered today at 2-1 and alone in first place in the NFC West, which is undoubtedly the weakest division in the NFL. So as long as San Francisco remains in contention, Smith will likely remain under center.

Second, even should Kaepernick get the nod as the starting quarterback at some point, he will probably struggle early, especially given that the Pistol offense he played in at Nevada just doesn't translate well to the National Football League.

Third, the San Francisco passing attack can barely be called that, ranking 28th in the NFL through three games, and while part of the blame for that anemic ranking can be laid at the feet of Alex Smith, the 49ers receiving corps isn't overly talented outside of tight end Vernon Davis, making it difficult for any San Francisco quarterback to be a reliable fantasy asset.

It's always a good idea for fantasy football owners to try to stay ahead of the curve when looking for potential waiver wire acquisitions, but in this instance it's more than likely that the curve just isn't there.