49ers Sign RB Brian Westbrook

The 49ers signed RB Brian Westbook today.  This was a bit surprising after hearing the Rams and Redskins were the front runners to sign Westbrook.  Ultimately though, the Rams were a rough fit because they play on turf, which would have been hell on Westbrook's knees, and they are in no shape to contend.  The Redskins were a better fit because the play on grass and are closer to contention, but they also have like 8 billion 30+ year old RBs on their team.  The 49ers offered both a grass surface and are probably the preseason favorites to win the wide open NFL West.

Fantasy Impact: I have updated the draft guide, but the simple fact is that this should not impact your view of Frank Gore.  Glen Coffee suddenly retired to pursue a career in religion, and that left a hole at the backup RB position.  Anthony Dixon was impressive during his first preseason action, but the 49ers remain concerned about his contributions in the passing game as both his blocking and receiving are questionable.  Enter Brian Westbrook.  Westbrook is obviously a big name in fantasy circles thanks to his contributions to teams over the past 5 or so seasons, but at 30 years old, he has proven over the past 2 seasons that he is best suited to a smaller, backup RB role.  Westbook will get weekly touches and be a part of the game plan, but this offense will continue to run through Gore.  The 49ers have stated their intention to move back to a power running attack after spending a lot of time in the spread formation last year, so adding an extra RB to take some carries is a good thing to keep Gore fresh.  Continue to view Gore as an option in the top 5, and pounce if he falls out of it.