Niner Noise
FanSided

Power ranking 49ers top 10 players halfway through 2019 season

By Peter Panacy

Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers with George Kittle #85 (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers with George Kittle #85 (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 07: Matt Breida #22 of the San Francisco 49ers runs with the ball against the Cleveland Browns at Levi’s Stadium on October 07, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 07: Matt Breida #22 of the San Francisco 49ers runs with the ball against the Cleveland Browns at Levi’s Stadium on October 07, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

42. . . . Matt Breida. 4. player

Remember that part about the 49ers ground game fueling the vast majority of what Kyle Shanahan wants to do on offense?

Well, it’s time to thank running back Matt Breida again.

Yes, the Niners have received some great play from fellow running back Tevin Coleman, including his four-touchdown game against the Carolina Panthers in Week 8. But Coleman missed a good chunk of time earlier in the season, and Breida has clearly emerged as the No. 1 option on the ground.

Case in point, Breida’s 524 rush yards eclipse the 355 posted on the ground by Coleman, even though the latter has five rush touchdowns to Breida’s one.

This is a good problem for San Francisco to have, of course. But what solidifies Breida’s spot in the Niners’ top-10 players through the halfway point is this: According to NextGen Stats, Breida is still the league’s fastest ball carrier, putting up an astounding 22.3 miles-per-hour rush against the Cleveland Browns in Week 5.

Breida was also the league’s fastest in 2018, too.