There wasn’t much fantasy value to be found with the San Francisco 49ers towards the end of the 2015 season.
In late December, names like Blaine Gabbert, DuJuan Harris and Mike Davis were featured in the San Francisco offensive box score. If those guys were also in fantasy lineups, then those owners were in trouble.
Owners still don’t know what’s going on with Colin Kaepernick and the quarterback situation in San Francisco, but one thing the 49ers front office is excited about is the return of running back Carlos Hyde.
After Week 1 of the 2015 season, Hyde looked like the best fantasy player in the league, as he rushed for 168 yards and two touchdowns. He also gained 14 more yards in the passing game too.
Of course, Hyde is a classic example of why owners can’t overreact after Week 1. He never came close to repeating those numbers from the first game. In fact, Hyde never reached 100 yards again and scored just one touchdown after the first week. Then, he missed the last nine games of the year due to a foot injury.
But the good news is things are looking up again for Hyde heading into 2016.
First off, the 24-year-old back appears to have his health once more. Hyde said on April 6 that his surgically repaired foot “feels great” according to the Bay Area News Group. He has also slimmed down quite a bit in anticipation of playing for new head coach Chip Kelly.
As most fantasy owners will know, Kelly runs the fastest-paced offense in the league, so Hyde is making it a point this offseason to be in the best shape possible even if that means being a little lighter. As of early April, he was down from 235 last season to 225 pounds, and he could lose even more weight over the summer.
Speaking of the new head coach, 49ers general manager Trent Baalke endorsed Hyde as an “ideal” fit for Kelly’s offensive scheme, which has a heavy emphasis on zone-blocking.
Although they aren’t as bad as agents, owners still have to take what general managers say with a grain of salt. That was a curious thing for Baalke to say because Kelly reportedly never even considered Hyde when he was selecting players for the Eagles before the 2014 draft. But at least in theory, yes, Hyde should be a nice fit in Kelly’s offense.
In his brief two-year NFL career, the former Buckeye running back has showcased great lateral quickness, which should work in the new scheme.
All the talk during his time at the pro level has been revolved around quarterbacks, but in actuality, Kelly loves to run the ball, and before last season’s debacle, LeSean McCoy had some very successful fantasy years in Kelly’s offense. McCoy was particularly good in his first season under Kelly, leading the league with both 1,607 rushing yards and 2,146 yards from scrimmage.
Over his two seasons in Kelly’s offense, McCoy averaged 14.3 fantasy points per week in standard scoring leagues. Owners would absolutely love any kind of production close to that from Hyde in 2016.
Hyde hasn’t shown enough to be considered a top 10 fantasy back for 2016, but both the potential he showed during Week 1 last season and the new scheme give him a high enough upside to make him a third-round pick in 12-team leagues.
Target him as a strong RB2 unless you are an owner who picked wide receivers in the first two rounds. In that case, it would be fine to fire up Hyde as the RB1.
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