Stock Up:
1. HB Raheem Mostert
After we saw a career day at Baltimore in Week 13, Mostert put up another great performance Week 14 against the Saints. Mostert totaled 109 scrimmage yards and 2 scores on just 12 touches. One of those touchdowns was one through the air on a trick play where WR Emmanuel Sanders threw the ball. Mostert is starting to look more like a RB1, which will help the 49ers down the rest of the regular season and playoff stretch.
2. WR Kendrick Bourne
Kendrick Bourne was a big time red-zone threat on Sunday. Bourne recorded 18 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 3 catches. Bourne doesn’t get too many targets, but when he does get targeted, he catches it. Many fans were mad with Bourne after the Monday night loss at Seattle, in a game where he dropped multiple balls. However, Bourne has stepped his game up big time since then, and is now Garoppolo’s top red-zone target. HC Kyle Shanahan has been impressed with Bourne, and has said that him, Emmanuel Sanders, and Deebo Samuel have separated themselves from the rest of the wide receivers.
3. DT D.J. Jones
On Wednesday, HC Kyle Shanahan said that it was likely that D.J. Jones will miss the rest of the season with an ankle injury. This is a huge loss for this 49ers defense, as Jones was arguably the best run stuffer on the d-line. On Sunday, Jones had just 2 tackles, but also a forced fumble, which really changed the momentum of the game. After the drive after the fumble forced by Jones, the 49ers scored offensively. Jones will be missed, but his emergence on this defense will help the team for the future.
Stock Down:
1. SS Marcell Harris
Marcell Harris started his first game of the season on Sunday with Jaquiski Tartt (ribs) out, and did not play well. Although he recorded 6 tackles, he also missed a lot more and was not that good in coverage. Harris is a spectacular special teams player, but i’m not sure he’s ready to be starting on defense quite yet. We weren’t show how much the 49ers need Jaquiski Tartt back in that secondary until Sunday, and now we know that they need him back badly.
2. HB Tevin Coleman
Tevin Coleman hasn’t been used much in the past couple of weeks, recording just 9 touches (8 rushes, 1 catch). Most of this is just due to the emergence of Raheem Mostert, but Tevin Coleman is going to have to bounce-back soon to give the 49ers that extra shifty back in the backfield. With the 49ers playing Coleman’s former team this week, the Falcons, it’s very easy to see Coleman having a bounce-back game. If Coleman can start playing again like he did around the mid-season, then that just gives the 49ers another dynamic playmaker on the offensive side of the ball.
3. LB Azeez Al-Shaair
Al-Shaair has been struggling quite a bit all season. For an undrafted rookie I guess you can expect that, but as a starter on defense, you have to be smarter. Al-Shaair didn’t record a single tackle on Sunday, and struggled in coverage as well. Of course, Al-Shaair is only playing because of the injury due to LB Kwon Alexander, which he suffered on Halloween in the TNF win against the Cardinals. Al-Shaair is going to need to improve if he wants to keep his starting job. If not, it’s a very realistic possibility to see the team replacing him with either Elijah Lee or Mark Nzecoha.
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