Sunday Night Football Fantasy Versus: Lions vs. 49ers 

Stafford has the tools to take the next step.

The Detroit Lions will travel to Candlestick Park Sunday night to take on the surging San Francisco 49ers. It’s being called the Handshake Bowl, after Jim Schwartz and Jim Harbaugh had a scuffle when shaking hands after the Week 6′s game last season. Regardless of who wins this game, all eyes will be on the post game handshake.

If you’re trying to decide on who to start in tonight’s game, look no further than below, as well will try and help you make the right call before kickoff, in our Sunday Night Football Fantasy Versus.

Quarterback

Matthew Stafford (Lions) vs. Alex Smith (49ers)

If you starting Alex Smith over Stafford, then I want to be in your league. Stafford’s the easy choice here, even though the 49ers defense is nasty.

Running Backs

Frank Gore (49ers) vs. Kevin Smith (Lions)

Gore is on the back-end of his career, but he’s still very useful in fantasy. In last years meeting, Gore gashed the Lions defense to a tune of 141 yards with one touchdown on only 15 carries.

Smith had a great game last week, but I’m not expecting the same type of production this time around. It’s a brutal match-up for any of the Lions running backs, and I would stay away from all of them tonight.

I’m picking Gore over Smith.

Wide Receivers

Michael Crabtree (49ers) vs. Randy Moss (49ers) vs. Nate Burleson (Lions)

Calvin Johnson is excluded from this list because he is a must start every week.

Randy Moss was the only one out of these three receivers that caught a touchdown, however he was only on the field for 21 snaps. I like Moss more as the season goes on but for now he should only be started in the deepest of leagues.

I like Crabtree the best, especially if you’re in a PPR league. Burleson is only recommended in deeper leagues, based on his tough match-up against the 49ers defense. Let’s rank them Crabtree, Moss, and Burleson for tonight.

Tight Ends

Brandon Pettigrew (Lions) vs. Vernon Davis (49ers)

Both of these tight ends should be starting in almost every fantasy league out there. The Lions will be throwing the ball a lot, so I look for Pettigrew to have nice game, after all he had 8 catches for 42 yards and one touchdown against the 49ers last season.

I’m going to go with Pettigrew over Davis, but it’s close.

Kickers

David Akers (49ers) vs. Jason Hanson (Lions)

Mr. Akers tied an NFL record after nailing a 63-yard field goal last week. He’s also one of the most accurate kickers of all time, and shows no signs of slowing down at this point. I’ll give the slight edge to Akers.

Team Defense

San Francisco D/ST vs. Detroit Lions D/ST

One of the best defenses in the league is the San Francisco 49ers, so you’re obviously starting them every week, especially over the Detroit Lions.

About the author: Trevor Gunn

Trevor Gunn has been involved in fantasy sports for over 10 years, and brings extensive football knowledge to NFLSoup. In addition to his fantasy football expertise, Gunn also covers the NBA at NBASoup.com. Follow him on Twitter @NFLSoupTrevor.