2021 Dynasty/Fantasy Game Analysis Week 13: Seahawks 30, 49ers 23
This game was somewhat back-and-forth, sometimes sloppy, sometimes hard-nosed. Either team could have won. The 49ers had four end zone shots/goal-to-go types at the end of the game and couldn’t score to tie/win. Seattle had a score off a 73-yard fake punt TD run to get this party started. It was a fun game to watch. It was evenly played…hard hitting and sloppy, mostly. Seattle won, and they deserved to – they had more energy in the end.
Seattle (4-8) wins a huge game to keep their season alive by the dimmest of hopes and having now two wins over SF may come back to help them in the wild card if they can ever get to it…they need to win out. Three of Seattle’s next 4 games are with HOU-CHI-DET…three great opportunities to win, which would book 7 wins. Week 15 they are at LAR…and that will be for the Seattle season, as every game is right now – Seattle needs to run the table to get to (9-7) and try and sneak into the wild card. The schedule can help them get there; they just have to do their part…no room for error. It’s a tall order, so they will likely finish with 7-8 wins in the end.
The overrated 49ers fall to (6-6) and have a more choppy schedule ahead. They have ATL and HOU ahead, so 8 wins is almost in the bag. They would need one more win to get to 9 wins and thus in the wild card discussion…one win out of the other three games being at CIN, at TEN, at LAR…three tough road games. Not going to be easy. We project they will slip into the 9-win group and have a wild card shot with wins over wild card contenders LAR, PHI, MIN already.
Fantasy Player Notes…
-- Best game I’ve seen Rashaad Penny (10-35-0, 1-27-0/1) have in a long time.
Rashaad Penny facts:
1) He’s a more talented, better version of Elijah Mitchell.
2) He’s more talented than Mitchell, but his O-Line is a disaster by comparison.
3) Penny has to contend with Adrian Peterson for goal line work, and with Travis Homer for PPR work.
4) Penny did some amazing pass protection in this game…which always endears head coaches.
5) Penny is always hurt, just when you think it’s ‘his time’…he falls down.
Well, for Week 14, the pendulum of ‘good luck’ has swung hard Penny’s way – AP is out…Homer is out. And no matter how bad the O-Line is, they are facing the Houston Texans…the run defense so bad it sunk below the awful Chargers to #32 in yards per game allowed (144.2) and is #31 in rush TDs allowed (20).
It’s a perfect set up for Penny this week. God, help him stay healthy. This is his chance to shine for his pending free agency. Alex Collins should be cleared but I think this will be Pete Carroll rewarding, riding, trying to get momentum going with Penny Week 14.
-- I thought Russell Wilson (30-37 for 231 yards, 2 TDs/1 INT) started to look more like his normal self here…some of that on a shaky SF pass defense.
Wilson starting to heat up + rookie WR Dee Eskridge (3-35-1/30 starting to show a spark…Metcalf-Lockett-Eskridge can be pretty salty if Eskridge can keep getting his sea legs in the NFL. He was hurt/out early and just now starting to get comfortable.
-- Gerald Everett (4-7-0/6) cost Seattle winning this game by 2-3 scores. He had a pass right to his wide-open hands near the goal line, but as he went to turn up field for the easy score, he forgot to secure the catch…so, he bobbled the ball in his hands 2-3x and the last attempt to re-grab it, the ball right up to a defender 2-3 yards behind him – an easy TD turned no TD and a turnover.
Late in the game with Seattle trying to put SF away, a TE shuttle-pass up the middle near the goal line…Everett caught it and headed for the score and was hit/fumbled and turnover on the 1-yard line.
In another universe, this is a 2-TD game for Everett and everyone chasing him off waivers for Week 14. Not to be…
I have some FF-faith in the efforts they are making to get Everett the ball the past few weeks…he’s a TE1 threat for me every week.
-- Elijah Mitchell (22-66-1, 3-18-0/3) was bottled up by a very good-looking Seattle run defense. He also got hurt in this game and is going to miss Week 14. Speaking of how Penny is like Mitchell…we know Penny is hurt all the time, well…Mitchell seems to be hurt/out about every 2-3 games, no? Three separate injuries causing him to miss games this season now.
I believe Jeff Wilson will be the lead dog Week 14, with pass game support from JaMycal Hasty. Wilson practiced in full THU and FRI, so I’d bet strong on him for FF to be like Mitchell's output.
-- Wilson’s FF upside will be hurt if Deebo Samuel (DNP), the team’s #1 RB and part-time #1 WR, returns to action. Deebo is 50-50. I don’t know if he’ll be active, or if he’d take a normal workload if he is. I’d bet Deebo inactive one more week, but that’s just a hunch on my part. It’s going to be a big deal trying to figure out whether to trust him or not this week if he is active but on a ‘pitch count’.
Snap Counts of Interest:
62 = DKM
59 = Lockett
32 = Swaim
22 = Eskridge
29 = Penny
21 = Homer
18 = AP
02 = DeeJay Dallas
49 = Mitchell
02 = Wilson
01 = Hasty
57 = Sherfield
54 = Aiyuk
29 = J Jennings
