Posted by travis in 
This week is Championship Week for fantasy footballers everywhere. If you have made it this far you undoubtedly have a few studs on your team. However, if you are looking to win you’ll need more than a Drew Brees, Andre Johnson, or Adrian Peterson on your roster. In fact, if you are lucky enough to have the 49er defense on your roster they may win the championship for you.
If you just look at the traditional NFL ranking that statement would appear to be that of a madman (the NFL has the 49er defense ranked 19th in the league). However, when it comes to scoring fantasy points these guys are pretty darn good.
There 34 sacks are tied for 8th in the league (along with the Cowboys and Packers). With fifteen interceptions on the year they are tied for 12th in the league (with the Jets and Patriots). Only the Viking defense has more forced fumbles than them (49ers have 20), and the 12 they have recovered puts them in second (tied with 5 other teams). Along with the special teams units, the 49er defense has also given their offense a helping hand by putting four touchdowns on the board (1 blocked field goal return, 1 interception return, and 2 fumble returns).
As a body of work these guys are not bad at all and will look to be only better in the years to come, especially as their offense improves and allows their defense to rest a little more often. Yes, these guys had a number of weeks this season where they were an absolute fantasy dud, but just like any squad they had some others where they absolutely shined.
Int Fum Sacks TD
Week 3 @MIN 1 0 2 1
Week 4 STL 1 0 5 3
Week 10 CHI 5 0 0 0
Week 12 JAC 0 2 6 0
Week 13 @SEA 0 2 5 0
Week 14 ARI 2 7 4 0
As the season has gone on they have definitely gotten stronger; especially when they play at home. The talent on the squad is getting better each week, but they have shown already that they are quite capable of exposing and exploiting bad offensive teams (see week 4 against the Rams). During the fantasy championship week 16 they happen to be going up against the Detroit Lions (at home) who might be more interested in Tim Tebow or Mark Ingram than in actually winning.
If you have made it to your league’s championship game, congratulations. If your league will let you pick up the 49er defense; that is, if you want to win.
