Friday Fantasy Film Room: Carlos Hyde

Who's the No. 1 running back in fantasy right now? Carlos Hyde of the San Francisco 49ers, who torched a supposedly stout Minnesota Vikings defense to the tune of 182 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns on 28 touches Monday night. For many, it was an unexpected beginning on a Niners offense that was supposed to be terrible.

I had Hyde as my No. 14 fantasy back this summer, much higher than most, because I was impressed with the combination of size and one-cut ability he flashed in limited action as a rookie. Despite his awesome Week 1 effort, I probably still wouldn't have Hyde in my top 10 fantasy RBs for the rest of the season, because I still do have some questions about San Francisco's offensive line, and perhaps we vastly overrated the Vikings run D. But I'm still bullish on Hyde, as he's my No. 22 overall player in my current Rest-of-the-Season ranks. Let me explain why.

At 6' and 235 pounds, Hyde is built like a truck. And nobody will confuse him with Jamaal Charles or Ameer Abdullah when it comes to quickness. You're not getting several lightning jump-cuts per run from Hyde, and you're not getting breakaway speed. (Hyde ran a 4.66 40 at the 2014 combine). But you are getting a player who grew up in a collegiate system at Ohio State that was perfect for him, as it emphasized zone blocking and one-cut running. Monday night, the 49ers gave Hyde the kinds of looks he's comfortable with, and he made the most of them.

Here's a play from the first quarter that actually didn't count: it was called back for holding. But it gives us a look at one of Hyde's strengths.

The Niners are in a two-tight set and run right. Marcus Martin is the center, Jordan Devey is the right guard, Erik Pears is the right tackle, and Garrett Celek is the right tight end. Watch them fire out. Martin and Devey double-team a defensive tackle, then Devey runs right in synchrony with Pears and Celek, basically clearing anything in their paths. Hyde gets the ball and drifts right, knowing he has multiple reads. If he sees a hole immediately, he can cut between the center and guard. If he doesn't, he can keep running toward the sideline and look for a hole between the guard and tackle or even the tackle and tight end. In this case, Hyde sees a gap between Martin and Devey, slams his right foot hard into the turf to plant, and makes that one change of direction with alacrity that belies his size. Martin would be called for the hold, and it was a pretty legit call, but Hyde still deserves credit for taking advantage of what was there.

This is what Hyde does best: find a crease, translate that visual input into a hard cut, get through with some burst and then power through anyone who meets him at the second and third defensive levels.

While Hyde gets a ton of praise and fantasy buzz from Monday night's statistical output, credit should also flow to that 49ers offensive line. Hyde had a number of runs where all he had to do was follow the big horses and not fall down:

Oh, boy. This is carnage. The Vikings have eight men in the box and still can't do anything with this play. It amounts to a sweep where Hyde pretty much follows a phalanx of blockers who wall off every white jersey in sight. I mean, good job by Hyde for staying on his feet and being patient, but pretty much any back can gain yards on plays like this.

The 49ers lost tackle Anthony Davis to retirement and guard Mike Iupati to free agency, and are rolling with left tackle Joe Staley and a bunch of question marks, including former right guard Alex Boone taking over Iupati's left guard spot. This is a reminder, though, that just because a situation has changed doesn't necessarily mean that it will become a disaster. It's possible that the Niners have pieced together a good line from supposedly lesser players whose names we'll learn soon.

Finally, another reason to be most optimistic about Hyde for '15 can be found in his first TD run:

Men his size aren't supposed to be able to make moves like that. Make no mistake, that kind of spin move isn't the same sort that a jitterbugging player like Charles or LeSean McCoy makes. Hyde isn't really an "escape" kind of runner who'll make would-be tacklers crumple with a cut. But if you needed further proof of his sweet feet, that TD run serves you well.

One game doesn't make a season, and the 49ers have some rough-looking run defenses in their own division; facing the Seahawks, Rams and Cardinals twice probably won't do wonders for Hyde's fantasy stock. But I'm happy to see him produce a big effort in Week 1, and expect he'll play well Sunday versus a suspect Pittsburgh Steelers D. For about a year, my favorite comparison for Hyde has been Ricky Williams, and that's still where I stand with him now. If this 49ers line truly is for real, watch out.

Christopher Harris is a six-time Fantasy Sports Writing Association award winner. He hosts the Harris Football Podcast every weekday. Find it on iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn and most other podcast apps, as well as at www.HarrisFootball.com.