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San Francisco 49ers running back Matt Breida had a bit of a coming out party in Week 2 against the Detroit Lions. After a solid opening performance when he rushed for 46 yards on 11 carries against the Minnesota Vikings, the 23-year-old blew that out of the water last weekend. Now, he has the full attention of the fantasy football world.
Breida ripped apart the Lions defense to the tune of 138 yards and one touchdown on 11 carries while also catching three passes for 21 yards. He excellent across the board for the 49ers, and now enters Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs with a great matchup on paper and major upside.
The problem is, fantasy owners are surely torn on whether or not to use Breida. While this has nothing to do with the former undrafted free agent’s talent, the current situation in San Francisco makes Breida’s fantasy outlook tough to gauge.
Breida a Tough Fantasy Play to Gauge
There’s no denying the numbers from Breida make him worth considering, but when digging deeper, there’s some reason for concern. After receiving just four fewer snaps than fellow backfield mate Alfred Morris in Week 1 (34 vs. 30), those numbers dipped a bit for Breida in Week 2, as Football Outsiders shows.
While Breida was more productive than Morris, he played just 25 snaps to his teammate’s 31. It was somewhat head-scratching, especially considering it was a close game.
The positive side of the argument is the matchup against the Chiefs. Kansas City has not only struggled against running backs this season, but specifically ones who can catch passes. Through two games, the Chiefs have given up 21 receptions for a league-high 261 yards and one touchdown to opposing running backs.
Start or Sit Matt Breida in Fantasy Football?
The workload situation makes things a bit frustrating for season-long fantasy owners. While Breida makes for a great play in daily fantasy football, especially with his low price on DraftKings, whether or not you play him in regular leagues comes down to the situation.
In 14-team leagues with or without a flex spot, Breida is a fine play assuming you don’t have two strong running backs or a very strong flex play. He’d be at the top of my list as a flex player, though, due to his matchup and potential for him to find the end zone.
When evaluating 12-team leagues, I’d feel good about using him in point-per-reception and leagues with a flex. Standard leagues it’s a bit tougher, but if you’ve been bitten by the injury bug, you could do far worse than starting the 49ers running back this week. But in 10-team leagues and below, you can safely leave Breida on the bench, barring your two starting running backs being Dalvin Cook and Joe Mixon.
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