When the San Francisco 49ers drafted QB Colin Kaepernick out of Nevada, the thought was there that he was going to step right into the fold and replace QB Alex Smith as the starting
quarterback of the team. The prudent …

However, what Kaepernick brings to the table now that he is being used in the offense with some regularity, is the ability to stretch the field and give teams something else to think about. This is probably why the New York Giants, last year's Super Bowl champs, are +6 underdogs on the NFL odds when these two teams meet this weekend at Candlestick Park.

Kaepernick has thrown the football some out of the Wildcat, but he has mostly been used as a runner. He has averaged 10.6 yards per carry this year, and the 49ers are averaging 8.2 yards per play when he is on the field. Obviously, that won't stay the case if the ball gets turned over to Kaepernick on a full-time basis at any point, but as his role expands, it makes the job of Smith and the ground game all the more easy.

Smith isn't the only one being spelled from time to time. RB Frank Gore is as well. Gore has 80 carries this year for 432 yards and four scores, but we have seen plenty of RB Kendall Hunter as well. Hunter is averaging the same 5.4 yards per carry as Gore is, and he has busted plenty of runs that make heads turn.

But in the end, it might all go back to Kaepernick. He's playing more and more as the games go by, and he might find himself playing a huge role this week against the G-Men to help slow down their pass rush, which is still one of the best in the league.