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There was so much potential for a Raheem Mostert fantasy football breakout to come in Week 8 against the Arizona Cardinals. It was a great matchup, he was playing well and starting running back Matt Breida was questionable at best to play. Unfortunately, those players who had hoped to roll him out in lineups likely weren’t happy with the end result.
Breida wound up receiving a season-high 16 carries, leading to just 42 yards as he gutted through the injury. Although the 23-year-old is listed as questionable for the San Francisco 49ers’ Week 9 matchup with the Oakland Raiders, it seems likely he’ll play. So what does that meet for Mostert, who’s averaged 7.3 yards per carry or better in each of the past three games? In short, it’s not good news.
Although Mostert looks to have major potential and serious upside, Breida’s presence hurts his fantasy value drastically. Let’s break it down further and evaluate whether there’s an argument to start the 49ers young back or if he’s simply a sit for Thursday Night Football.
Should You Start or Sit Raheem Mostert in Week 9?
Not only was Mostert far behind Breida in terms of touches last week (he had just two rushes for 18 yards), but he wasn’t even close in snaps either. Breida was on the field for 47 percent of the offensive plays while Mostert played 18 percent, per Football Outsiders. Slightly behind him was Alfred Morris with 17 percent of the work.
There’s no question 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan wants to keep Breida as the go-to option in the offense currently and even Morris saw more touches than Mostert with six. Although there are six teams on bye this week, it’s going to be tough to play Mostert, although the appealing matchup with the Raiders helps.
Per ESPN shows, Oakland has allowed the seventh-most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs. This features 898 rushing yards on 176 attempts along with 25 receptions for 286 yards and nine total touchdowns. That bodes well for the 49ers, but it’s better for Breida than Mostert unless the former gets ruled out prior to kickoff.
If you start Mostert this week you’re simply taking a big risk and it’s likely not worth it. I wouldn’t recommend rolling him out in any league or format unless Breida is a surprise scratch.
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