Last week, I called Tre Tucker a WR2 in most formats. He caught zero passes on one target against the New York Jets, which is fantasy football's way of reminding everybody who is in charge.
Mind you, one quiet game doesn't change how I read this offense. The San Francisco 49ers' defense does change a few calls this week, too, and Tucker is one of them.
Start -- TE Brock Bowers
Bowers has 547 receiving yards, more than any tight end in the NFL, and he got there in six games after missing the first two. He's averaging 91 yards every time he suits up, and his five touchdowns give him a ceiling to match the floor.
San Francisco's secondary is also beat up. Safeties Marques Sigle (ankle) and Siran Neal (knee, foot) and cornerbacks Nate Hobbs (adductor) and Upton Stout (shoulder)
were all on Thursday's injury report. Bowers is a weekly lock, and this matchup gives me zero reason to think twice.
Start -- QB Kirk Cousins
Cousins has 19 touchdown passes, second only to Joe Burrow, and he has thrown at least two in seven of his eight starts. He has also thrown just five interceptions, and the 49ers have picked off only three passes all season.
The yardage might not be pretty. San Francisco has allowed the sixth-fewest passing yards of any team, so I'd treat Cousins as a strong QB2 or a streamer who wins your week with touchdowns.
Start -- RB Ashton Jeanty (PPR only)
Jeanty's longest run all season is 19 yards, and he has one rushing touchdown through eight games. Numbers like those would scare me off most running backs.
His hands keep him in play. Jeanty has 37 catches, second on the team behind Bowers, along with three receiving touchdowns. In PPR, he's a fine flex. In standard leagues, I'd look elsewhere against a 49ers front that has given up three rushing touchdowns all season, tied with Tampa Bay for the league low.
Sit -- WR Tre Tucker
Tucker's game is built on big plays, with 16.3 yards per catch and a long of 44 this season. The 49ers have given up just two passes of 40-plus yards this season, so the deep shots he lives on might not be there.
He still has 474 yards and four touchdowns, and he could easily make me look silly again. Coming off a zero-catch week, against a secondary that rarely gets beat deep, I'd rather start a steadier option.
Sit -- RB Mike Washington Jr.
Washington still hasn't started a game, with Jeanty getting the nod in all eight. He has 278 yards and one touchdown on 65 carries, and outside of one heavy workload, his touches have come in small doses. He has topped 55 rushing yards just once all season.
Against a defense that has bottled up nearly every back it has seen, I'd keep him on the bench until his role is locked in.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Raiders Week 9 fantasy football: Start and sit picks against the 49ers
