On Nov. 29, the news was grim for San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore when he went down with a hip injury. On Jan. 26, the news has become a bit brighter. According to Matt Barrows of the Sacarmento Bee, Gore is ahead of schedule in his rehab of a fractured hip. Barrows tweets that Gore has already been running for two weeks. He should be able to participate in offseason workouts and practices and should be ready to go full bore by the start of training camp -- whenever that is. Gore, who will turn 28 in May, injured the hip early in a Monday night game at Arizona and it cost him the final five games of the season. He finished 2010 with 1,305 yards from scrimmage and five total touchdowns -- two receiving. Gore is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2011 season.

Fantasy Analysis:

Gore's yards-per-carry average fell back to 2007 territory of 4.2 after posting 4.9 in 2009. He's missed at least two games in each of the past three seasons, but he's still extremely valuable in fantasy because of his pass-catching skills. Despite missing five games, he still recorded his second-best receiving yardage total. New Niners head coach Jim Harbaugh said he wants to install a West Coast offense, which would be a definite fit for Gore. We'll just have to see what quarterback will play alongside him next season. That will have a lot of influence on how I perceive Frank Gore in fantasy.