Faceoff - RB Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers

Posted 8/14, exclusive to Footballguys.com

Upside - by Chris Smith

Frank Gore was considered an elite pro prospect while playing for the Miami Hurricanes when he destroyed his knee. The injury was so bad that many thought his playing days may be over. Not only did he rebound from the injury but he put in a dominating performance last season. This season he has set his sights on the 2000-yard mark and nobody has been snickering over his goals.

Even with the broken arm he suffered July 30th, it is easy to talk about the upside of Frank Gore. Let's start with the downside of Gore though and the reason folks may be hesitant to take him. The perception of Gore is that he is injury prone has had serious injury woes throughout his collegiate and now pro career. However those injuries were of a 'freak' variety and he has only missed two games in his first two pro seasons. As far as the upside goes, there are many reasons to be excited about Gore's potential in 2007.

Why should Gore be ranked inside the top-five this season?

1. Gore is an exceptional talent: Gore was absolutely lights out when he showed up at Miami U. and he appears to be all the way back to that level. Last year he had the incredible burst back that appeared lost for good and he has a great wiggle that makes him difficult to bring down. He averaged an incredible 5.4 yards per carry a year ago and has set his sights on a 2000-yard campaign.
2. He has already reached that level in fantasy football: Last season he finished as the 4th best fantasy running back. Has he or the 49ers done anything to make us believe he isn't capable of returning to that level in 2007? The answer to that question is a resounding NO. The 49ers signed talented receiver Darrell Jackson to help the offense improve via the passing game and drafted Joe Staley to compete with incumbent starter Kwame Harris at right tackle. If anything, Gore should be able to score a few more touchdowns this season.
3. The offensive line is very good: I'm not sure many folks realize just how prolific the 49ers offensive line has been when it comes to run blocking and they're still improving as a group. Adding veteran Larry Allen to the mix really helped this unit grow last season and they should be top-eight in terms of run blocking this year.

Final thoughts

The only reason to really be hesitant in regards to Frank Gore this season is his broken hand but by all accounts his hand will be fully healed by the start of the regular season and he shouldn't suffer from missing out on some preseason action. Gore is explosive, more powerful than most realize and capable of putting up monster numbers this season. There is no reason whatsoever to rank him outside of your top-six.

Downside - by Jeff Pasquino

No conversation about Frank Gore would be complete without discussing his injury history. Ever since his collegiate career at the University of Miami, the injury bug has repeatedly bitten Gore. Gore has had multiple knee and shoulder surgeries since then, and this season has been no different. In the first days of preseason, Gore broke his hand and is out until for several weeks. The spin doctors will tell you that this actually helps Gore, as he won't be on the field to get hurt in any other way or will have less chance to aggravate any older ailments before the regular season. That sounds good, but I doubt that it works that way.

Gore's discussion starts with injuries, but that is not where it ends. San Francisco added WR Darrell Jackson from Seattle in a Draft Day 2 trade for a fourth round pick. Jackson bumps up a young and talented 49er passing game, with QB Alex Smith getting another year under his belt. TE Vernon Davis also returns and is fully healthy, and rookie Jason Hill is also fighting for playing time. Ashley Lelie and veteran Arnaz Battle round out a much-improved San Francisco passing game.

So what does that mean for Frank Gore? Gore had almost 500 receiving yards on 61 catches, the most for any 49er in 2006. With the improvements in the passing game, Gore's receptions and receiving yardage are likely to decrease.

Other contributing factors to less output from Gore this year are the loss of offensive coordinator Norv Turner and also Gore's tremendous numbers in 2006. Wherever Turner has gone, running backs have been fantasy studs. From Emmitt Smith to LaDainian Tomlinson to LaMont Jordan, Turner has helped many RBs to put up career seasons. The loss of Turner from San Francisco may hurt Gore's numbers. Speaking of which, Gore averaged over five yards per carry last season. A repeat performance of that stat is rather unlikely, which would mean that just to get to similar production Gore would have to increase his workload for 2007.

Gore is currently going in the first round of nearly every fantasy football draft. To make him your first pick this season comes with a certain level of risk, which I believe is far too much to take on for what should be your best and featured player for your team.