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Frank Gore’s MRI on his injured ankle revealed that the star Running Back has an ankle strain.  The injury will sideline Gore for three weeks.  Fortunately for San Francisco and Gore fantasy owners, the 49ers have a bye in Week 6.

Glen Coffee will replace Gore in the starting lineup as they face St. Louis this week and Atlanta the following week. Coffee struggled filling in for Gore this week, but that’s typical of most RBs that play the Vikings.  It’s too bad the matchups weren’t reversed as the Falcons present more of a challenge.  It would be nice to see Coffee have a game under his belt before rolling the dice on him in a fantasy lineup.  However, this week’s game against the Rams may be too juicy to resist if you don’t have a decent alternative.

How do you think Coffee will do this week?  Are you considering playing Coffee this week?  If you want to run a lineup question by me, feel free to leave one in the comments.

Here are some Running Backs that have played well in the preseason.  Let’s evaluate them to see if they can translate their preseason production into fantasy worth when the season begins.

Glen Coffee, San Francisco 49ers – Coffee had 34 yards on 8 carries (4.3 yards per carry) and 3 catches for 27 yards in San Francisco’s win over Dallas.  Coffee leads all RBs with 230 yards on 38 carries (6.1 ypc).  He also has five receptions for 35 yards.  He’s not good enough to use as a flex player or bye week replacement in typical leagues, but he should be on fantasy rosters as a Frank Gore handcuff.

James Davis, Cleveland Browns – Davis has been impressive during the preseason with 149 yards on 19 carries (7.8 ypc) with a TD.  He has added 7 receptions for 44 yards.  He had 28 yards on 5 carries (5.6 ypc) and 4 catches for 27 yards in a Win over Tennessee.  He may not open the season as the starter, but if Jamal Lewis struggles, it will be hard to keep Davis off the field.  Do not let him go undrafted. 

Ahmad Bradshaw, New York Giants – Bradshaw had another solid game against the Jets with 8 carries for 47 yards (5.9 ypc) and 2 catches for 5 yards.  In the preseason he has 136 yards on 19 carries (7.2 ypc) with 1 TD and 6 catches for 21 yards.  He is a decent flex option and a excellent handcuff to Brandon Jacobs.

Kory Sheets, San Francisco 49ers - Sheets is tied for the lead with 3 preseason TDs.  He has also ran for 144 yards on 33 carries (4.4 ypc).  He punched two in against Dallas while running for 42 yards on 11 carries (3.8 ypc).  He’s battling for a roster spot, but doesn’t have much fantasy value.

P.J. Hill/Lynell Hamilton, New Orleans Saints - Lynell and P.J. are battling for roster spots.  Lynell has 143 yards on 31 carries (4.6 ypc) with 4 catches for 16 yards.  He had 95 yards on 16 carries (5.9 ypc)  in the win over Oakland.  P.J. is tied for the lead with 3 TDs.  He also has 113 yards on 22 carries (5.1 ypc) with 1 catch for 2 yards.  He had 83 yards on 12 carries (6.9 ypc) with 2 TDs against Oakland.  With Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush, and Mike Bell ahead of them on the depth chart neither have much fantasy value.

Leon Washington, New York Jets - Leon has 119 yards on 19 carries (6.3) with 6 catches for 40 yards in the preseason.  In their recent win over the Giants he had 62 yards on 9 carries (6.9 ypc) and 3 catches for 7 yards.  Thomas Jones has just 61 yards on 29 carries (2.1 ypc) with 2 TDs.  If his struggles continue, Leon can work his way into a larger role in the Jets offense.  He’s a good flex option with a ton of upside.

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Here are some Running Backs putting up serious preseason numbers.  Let’s take a look and see if they have a chance to translate some of that preseason production into fantasy worth in regular season play.

Glen Coffee, San Francisco 49ers – Coffee leads all RBs with 196 preseason rushing yards.  He is averaging 6.5  yards per carry (ypc).  He also has two receptions for 8 yard, but has failed to score a TD.  The Rookie out of Alabama is doing all the right things to serve as Frank Gore’s primary backup.  If Gore goes down, Coffee’s value skyrockets.  He is a great late round value as a Gore handcuff or trade bait.

Tyrell Sutton, Green Bay Packers – Sutton has 140 yards on 27 carries (5.2 ypc) with a TD.  It’s could earn him a gig on a practice squad somewhere or the UFL. 

Michael Turner, Atlanta Falcons - The preseason means little, but it’s nice to know the Burner is picking up where he left off with 128 yards on 13 carries (9.8 ypc) with a pair of TDs.  He is clearly a top four pick, with a bump in non-PPR leagues.

James Davis, Cleveland Browns - James has been shooting up fantasy draft boards with an amazing preseason.  He has looked great in practices and showed a glimpse of his big play potential with a 81 yard TD run against the lowly Detroit Lions en route to a 12 carry, 116 yard game.  Through two preseasons games the Clemson Rookie has 121 yards on 14 carries (8.6 ypc) and 3 receptions.  He has plenty of competition in Jamal Lewis and Jerome Harrison, but let’s face it.  The Browns are bad.  They are going to be bad.  It’s only a matter of time before they start planning for the future, and Jamal Lewis isn’t the future.  Harrison is better suited for the change of pace role, meaning Davis could get the bulk of the carries.

Kory Sheets, San Francisco 49ers - Sheets has 102 yards on 22 carries (4.6 ypc), but only has a shot of making the team because of Thomas Clayton’s knee injury.  He has no fantasy value.

Mike Bell, New Orleans Saints - Bell is an interesting option.  I obviously wouldn’t carry him on my roster as long as Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas were healthy, but he could be productive if one of them went down with an injury.  He has 100 yards on 10 carries (10.0 ypc) this preseason with a 46 yard TD.

Ryan Grant, Green Bay Packers - Again, I know it’s only the preseason, but it’s nice to see Ryan Grant find the end zone.  He has scored twice while running for 71 yards on 16 carries (4.4 ypc).  He has added a couple of receptions.  If he can score more than the 4 TDs he had last year, he’ll be one of the best RB2s.

Ahmad Bradshaw, New York Giants - Bradshaw appears poised to pick up Derrick Ward’s slack with 89 preseason yards on 11 carries (8.1 ypc) with 4 catches for 16 yards.  He has the burst to break one, and the soft hands to catch the ball out of the backfield.

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Frank Gore is one of those guys I’ll likely never own.  Not that I dislike him, but usually someone is willing to take him before I am willing to pull the trigger on him.  He had a solid year last year, but 1409 total yards (1036 rushing, 373 receiving) and 8 TDs don’t quite add up for a guy taken in the top seven or so.  Of course he did miss two games, but I won’t give him a pardon since they were during the fantasy playoffs in Weeks 15 & 16.  He is still worthy of first round pick, particularly in PPR leagues as he 52.3 receptions the past three years (although it’s declined each year).  The Niners did draft Glen Coffee (Alabama) in the third round of this year’s NFL Draft.  It’s a same assumption that he will shoulder some of the load.  Couple that with a QB battle between Shaun Hill and Alex Smith and I just as soon take one of the big WRs (Fitz or Andre Johnson) or Clinton Portis if he’s available at the bottom of the first round.

The Niners have a decent schedule.  They open the season and the fantasy playoffs (Week 14) with Arizona.  They face the Rams in Week 4.  Unfortunately they face them again Week 17 when it doesn’t matter to most fantasy owners.  Their fantasy playoff schedule is solid with the aforementioned tilt with Arizona, a clash with Philly in Week 15, and the Detroit Lions in the fantasy football championship game.  You have to love that.  Of course, if he misses the title game like last year, it’s a moot point. 

Like I said Gore will be taken in the first round in most drafts.  If he stays healthy he should earn his keep.  I’m projecting him to have 1600 total yards and 7 TDs.