Breida carried the ball a season-high 12 times for 45 yards against the Bears on Sunday. He hauled in his only target for four yards in a 15-14 win.
Breida saw a large uptick in usage after being limited to just seven offensive snaps against the Seahawks last week. The speedy rookie's 13 touches matched his previous season high, and this was just the second time he received double-digit carries through 12 games. Carlos Hyde still surpassed him in both carries (17) and targets (three), but Breida was slightly more effective with his opportunities, despite neither back eclipsing the 4.0 yards per carry plateau. The 22-year-old's usage seems to fluctuate on a week-to-week basis, but he appears to be more involved in contests that remain close from start to finish, most notably in the 49ers' two victories, where he was granted double-digit touches. Next week's matchup against the injury-riddled Texans could present another close contest, but gameflow-to-usage correlation isn't strong enough to build a case to start the quick-hitting back in standard formats.