San Francisco 49ers
July 5th, 2007 | by aaron |The 49ers probably had one of the best offseasons (draft, trades, free-agency) in recent football memory and they should see a definite improvement on both sides of the ball. Too much history and too much pride to keep this team down much longer.
Frank Gore: Does this guy need an introduction? In only his 2nd season as a professional, Gore managed to rush for 1700 yards and score a total of 9 TD’s. He also caught 61 balls for 500 yards. These are the types of numbers that RBs accumulate on winning franchises, not mediocre teams who only manage to win a total of 7 games. If the 49ers have improved just a little during the offseason, look for Gore to improve on these numbers by increasing his endzone appearances.
Alex Smith: There are still quite a few question marks with this 3rd year QB. If they are not answered this season, I’m not sure how much longer the Niners are willing to wait. Gore’s ability to turn nothing into something offers quite a bit of security for Smith. In my opinion, Smith could go undrafted in any fantasy league, but the overall improvement of these 49ers makes Smith an option as a backup and quite possibly a starter by mid-late season.
Darrell Jackson: Guaranteed if Jackson only has two good games this season they will come on 9/30 and 11/12 where the Niners face his former team, Seahawks. The only concern with Jackson right now has been his inability to remain healthy over the previous two seasons. Jackson is a quality receiver who is capable of adding depth and versatility to your roster, however, he’s nothing more than a #2 WR option on any fantasy franchise.
DEFENSE: In 2006 this defense ranked in the lower half of the NFL with a total of 34 sacks and only 27 total takeaways. If we were going on last years stats I’d skip this defense. However, as I’ve said previously, this 49ers franchise has done a tremendous job addressing issues on both sides of the ball. This unit is worthy of a selection, but only as a 2nd defense.
Battle/Lelie: Is this the year that Battle emerges as a quality 2nd receiver or does Lelie continue to only show that he is capable of making the big play? Either way it goes, neither player adds much value in terms of fantasy production.
Joe Nedney: Here’s a kicker worth mentioning. I’m all about taking a kicker from one of the top 12 franchises in the NFL. However, Nedney managed to rank 9th in overall points scored last season. Will the Niners have problems moving the ball? No! Will they have problems scoring inside the redzone? That’s the big question! Nedney is a first kicker option, not because of his ‘06′ performance, but due to the Niners improvement.
Vernon Davis There are only a handful of TE’s worth mentioning in terms of fantasy production. Davis is not one of them, yet. Worthy of a draft selection but only as a backup for now.
2 Responses to “San Francisco 49ers”
By mvuinc on Jul 5, 2007 | Reply
Gore is a beast and all, but I’m a bit wary that he’s going to get injured this year. Let’s hope that he’s able to stay healthy for many years to come.
By Aaron on Jul 5, 2007 | Reply
From a fantasy perspective it is a fear for most owners if you draft hime or if he’s in a keeper league, but that goes for every runner in the NFL. If we feel like that imagine how these teams who have invested millions of dollars in these guys. Scary!