Buy or Sell: 49ers RB Trey Sermon for Fantasy Football
The San Francisco 49ers were the only NFL team to have two of their top three picks officially listed as “healthy scratches” in Week 1. The team deactivated both second-round pick (No. 48) OG Aaron Banks and third-round pick (No. 88) RB Trey Sermon.
I understand Banks. I was highly critical of Banks during my NFL draft LIVESTREAM on YouTube. I said in my real-time analysis that Banks was tailor-made for a power-based run, not a zone-blocking scheme.
Sermon was the surprise. The team rolled with three running backs; RB Raheem Mostert, RB Elijah Mitchell and RB JaMycal Hasty. Shanahan explained why he deactivated the Ohio State product and his reaction to the benching:
“I think he handled it like a pro," said Shanahan on Sermon's placement on the inactive list. "He battled some injuries throughout training camp. So did Elijah [Mitchell]. Hasty got some opportunities in the preseason and looked good. Elijah came in and looked a little bit ahead of him in the limited play that he got, and no one was passing up Raheem [Mostert].
During 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan’s Day 2 post-draft presser he was mum on Sermon:
“To be able to add Trey to this group, with this skill set, what we think he can do, you just add them in the mix and you see how it unfolds.”
Well hard to see a player’s development unfold from the sideline. However, one rookie is benefiting and his name is RB Elijah Mitchell.
The team’s sixth-round pick (No. 194), Mitchell burst onto the scene making the most of his opportunities once Mostert was lost for the season. The Louisiana product racked up 19 carries for 104 rushing yards (5.5 avg.) and 1 TD. The 104 rushing yards set a single-game rushing record for a 49ers rookie debut.
Sermon who was drafted 106 selections higher was forced to watch from the sidelines. You can’t help but think Sermon was itching to get onto the field. But it wasn’t going to be Week 1.
Fast forward to today, and Sermon will likely be active moving forward. How he responds to adversity will be something to monitor. Mentally, what’s going through his head?
“You can only get three guys up and it's not an easy decision, but that's part of the NFL. It's a matter of time. We haven't gone through a year here where we haven't started at least four different backs. Now we're into Week 2 and he's [Sermon] up regardless and I expect him to come in and play at a high level and keep getting better. There is a reason why we drafted him. We have a lot of confidence in him."
I always say actions speak louder than words, and if Shanahan was really high on him and has a lot of confidence in him, he would’ve rolled that way in Week 1, not after Mostert got hurt.
As the Niners prep for the Philadelphia Eagles, it will be interesting to see how they tackle this week’s game plan. How many snaps does Sermon get? I’m thinking 5-7 carries for 20-30 rushing yards.
People are asking if they should hit the panic button, and I say no. Shanahan loves to use 2 or 3 running backs throughout the season and Sermon will benefit at some point. The question remains when? Stash him.