According to Sports Illustrated's Jim Trotter, the 49ers are moving forward with Colin Kaepernick
as their starting quarterback. According to Trotter, here is how head coach Jim Harbaugh broke the news to Alex Smith on Wednesday night:
"I'm going with Kaepernick. Alex, I'm sorry."
Kaepernick gave himself a chance to get on top of the depth chart after completing nearly 70 percent of his passes and registering two touchdowns and no turnovers against the Bears in a 32-7 beatdown on Monday night. Smith missed the game due to a concussion.
Fantasy Analysis:
And now it looks like Smith will remain on the sidelines even when he's healthy, although he still hasn't been cleared to play after his Week 10 concussion.
From a football standpoint, I think the 49ers are doing Smith wrong here. Kaepernick was absolutely golden against the Bears, but how can you take the team away from the quarterback who has completed 70 percent of his passes this year and has won 21 of the last 28 games he has started for a man with one start under his belt? Don't say that Smith got Pipp'ed; Wally Pipp was in a massive slump and deserved to be benched on July 2, 1925 for someone named Gehrig. I don't think Smith deserved this.
But from a fantasy standpoint, hells to the yeah, this is awesome. Smith was always a game manager, and Kaepernick has a ton more upside. He showed on Monday that he can be an accurate passer with outstanding touch as well as a strong runner. Tight end Vernon Davis
must be smiling like The Cheshire Cat. With the Niners playing the Saints this weekend, I would fit Kaepernick easily into the top-15 at QB.
