In a scary moment early during Week 3, San Francisco 49ers running back Matt Breida suffered a non-contact injury to his leg. It resulted in Breida going down to the ground almost immediately, as you can see below.
Via Rob Lowder of The Niners Wire:
It looked as though the injury could be bad news for Breida, as non-contact injuries are incredibly concerning. For now, the 49ers will turn the bulk of the workload over to Alfred Morris, who was already splitting time with Breida.
The question now becomes, should fantasy football owners consider adding Morris as a potential long-term replacement?
Update
As The Athletic’s Matt Barrows revealed, Breida was, fortunately, able to return to the game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Matt Breida just jogged back onto the field with his teammates; Richard Sherman still limping badly; Adrian Colbert also looks awfully gimpy.
Few Options Other Than Morris, But One Trade Target
The 49ers don’t have much to work with at running back currently aside from Morris, meaning that immediately, he’ll get the work. But whether or not he’s productive and will remain in a workhorse role for the foreseeable future is an unknown.
After ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the Pittsburgh Steelers are listening to trade offers for Bell, the 49ers looked like a top potential fit. Shortly after that news came out, ESPN’s Field Yates pointed out that the 49ers were one of the few teams who could afford Bell’s current contract for the remainder of this season.
As things stand for the 49ers, it seems to be either Morris or an outside name being brought on if Breida were to miss time. Unfortunately, the 29-year-old back has rushed for just 86 yards on 26 attempts through two games, so his upside seems limited.
49ers’ Plan Moving Forward
This is where things get interesting, especially when you factor in Jerick McKinnon. San Francisco lost their expected starter and free-agent signing in McKinnon to a torn ACL prior to the season, which is what led to Breida and Morris seeing an expanded workload.
While the idea of acquiring Bell is surely more than a bit appealing, there are some issues with it which could leave fantasy football owners feeling safe about adding Morris. The 49ers signed McKinnon to a four-year, $30 million deal this offseason, so if they’re committed to him longterm, then Morris will likely take over the starting role.
But, as Spotrac shows, the 49ers have outs on McKinnon’s contract. If released after this season, they’d suffer just $1.5 million in dead cap and could likely afford to keep Bell long-term.
The biggest factor in Morris’ fantasy value moving forward comes down to Bell if Breida’s injury is indeed serious. If the 49ers are without the 23-year-old back for an extended period and don’t move on Bell, then Morris becomes a perfect waiver wire add in all formats.
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Matt Breida Injury: Alfred Morris Fantasy Football Impact