Fantasy Football stars and studs, Week 1

Raheem Mostert – San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers were distinctly unimpressive as the defending NFC champions slumped to a 24-20 defeat to division rivals the Arizona Cardinals.

Injuries on the offensive line and wide receiver contributed to a sloppy performance from Kyle Shanahan’s group that will only serve to raise further questions about Jimmy Garoppolo’s long-term status as the starting quarterback for San Francisco.

But one player who emerged from Sunday with his reputation enhanced was running back Raheem Mostert.

The hero of the NFC Championship game displayed his devastating speed in the open field on a 76-yard catch and run that put the 49ers up 10-0.

That effort, combined with his 56 yards on 15 carries, saw Mostert finish as RB5 in standard scoring and RB6 in PPR.

More noteworthy for his season-long outlook, however, was the distribution of the workload. Jerick McKinnon and Tevin Coleman had just seven carries between them, indicating that it is Mostert’s show in the backfield.

McKinnon may eat into his reps on passing downs after finally making his debut after two years on the sideline and marking it with a touchdown as he showed the elusiveness that led the Niners to sign him in 2018.

But it appears clear Mostert will command the most touches and, as the Niners offense gets healthy and likely more productive, he should be in a spot to deliver the best season of his nomadic career and reward the fantasy players who were willing to put their faith in him.