Bears-49ers: A Fantasy Football Preview

With the beginning of the NFL Network's glorious Thursday night football beginning this week, fantasy football FanHouse is bringing you a preview for each and every Thursday night game from here on out. You've already seen the rankings, but things can change before Sunday. One thing that can't change? Your lineup choices for the guys playing Thursday evening. That's why we're here.

The Bears enter the game having lost three of their last four (the one win was at home over the hapless Browns). Their defense has plummeted from a respectable unit to one pretty easily shredded, whether via ground or air. The Niners come in having lost four straight and five of their last six. They are ranked fourth in the NFL in run defense and 24th against the pass.

Must Starts

Frank Gore - The Bears allowed the Arizona Cardinals to achieve a season-high in rushing yards last week -- by halftime. Needless to say, Gore -- who has been solid for two straight weeks -- is going to have some fun tonight.

Vernon Davis - He's established himself as the No. 1 tight end in non-PPR fantasy football leagues (hello apocalypse). The Bears allowed two scores to anonymous Arizona TEs last week, too. Along with Gore, I expect these two to combine for three touchdowns. At least.

Greg Olsen - He's Cutler's favorite target in the red zone and is coming off a three-touchdown game. No reason to sit him now against a suspect pass defense.

Devin Hester - Did you know Hester's ranked 20th in fantasy points for receivers (non-PPR)? He's consistent, too, as he's had at least six catches and 81 yards in each of his four games since the Bears' bye. You'd be hard pressed to find many teams with two better starting wideouts than Hester this week.

Probable Starts

Jay Cutler - It's possible you have options who don't like to turn the ball over so often, but, otherwise, Cutler needs to be in that starting lineup. He was our quarterback in the podcast Starting Six Pack, because the Niners have a lackluster pass defense and the Bears will be throwing all night. Expect at least two passing touchdowns and more than 250 yards through the air. You'll have to deal with a pick or two, but that comes with the territory of owning Cutler.

Matt Forte - If you have two guys ranked above him in my RB rankings for the week, definitely feel free to sit him without a second thought. The Bears aren't going to have any running lanes tonight at all. In starting Forte, you are either doing so because you don't have a choice or you're hoping for a lot of receiving yards (which is entirely possible). So, yeah, you probably have to start him, but there are better options.

Robbie Gould - The Bears shouldn't have much trouble scoring points on the Niners and they've been relatively bad at punching the ball into the end zone from short distances. It's easy to see Gould with close to double digit points here with some mix of field goals and PATs.

Deep Starts

Alex Smith - It wouldn't be surprising to see him turn the ball over a few times, but we've seen Kurt Warner and Carson Palmer absolutely throttle the pathetic Bears' secondary recently. If Smith makes the right reads and sits comfortably in the pocket, it's reasonable that he could keep up with Cutler. He's a definite sleeper for the week, especially if you've been using Eli Manning or Matt Schaub (who both have byes).

Michael Crabtree - The Bears don't have a single defensive back who can deal with the talent level of Crabtree. The only question is if he's polished enough yet to remain a consistent part of the offense. Too much focus on Davis and Gore could allow Crabtree to slip through with his first career touchdown.

Earl Bennett - He's coming off the best game of his professional career (seven catches for 93 yards) and the rapport with Cutler is obvious. Like Crabtree, though, Bennett has yet to score. Look for that to change soon, possibly against this sad Niners' secondary.

Johnny Knox - He's a much worse option than Bennett at this point, because he's much less reliable. Knox is the home run threat -- both on offense and special teams -- but if you don't get the big play you're stuck with about four points. If you want to gamble on the big play, though, don't let me stand in your way. Gambling is fun.

Joe Nedney - I'm expecting three to four extra points and possibly one field goal. There are much better options out there (see if Steven Hauschka or Matt Prater are available).

Hail Mary Picks

Jason Hill or Josh Morgan - If the Bears pay too much attention to Gore, Davis or even Crabtree, there's the possibility another wideout slips through the radar. Last week Hill caught two touchdown passes, but he'd been silent all season prior to that. Either one of these guys has a shot to come through with a sneaky touchdown, but neither is even remotely close to a sure thing to garner even a single catch.

Desmond Clark - He only has 10 catches for 84 yards all season and he hasn't scored a touchdown, so you'd have to be really, really desperate here. In playing Clark (in gigantic leagues where you possibly own both Kevin Boss and Owen Daniels, perhaps?), you'd be hoping for a score. The Bears do run two-TE sets on the goal line and play-action out of it. There's always a chance it goes to Dez.

The D/STs

Neither is a great option this week. There will be a few interceptions, but the yardage and points coughed up will completely offset any positives from these units. There are much better options out there (check for Dolphins or Titans this week).

IDP Goodness

Obviously you know to start Patrick Willis and Lance Briggs. How about some deeper plays? For the Bears, Zack Bowman had an interception last week and will have a good shot at another against turnover-prone Smith. If you want reliability, check out Danieal Manning for his tackles -- and he has a penchant for big plays anyway. For the Niners, check out free safety Dashon Goldson. He's had a few big tackle games and an errant Jay Cutler pass over the deep middle wouldn't shock anyone.