49ers Training Camp

     Not to jump on the San Francisco bandwagon, but the 49ers seem poised to finish atop the battered NFC West this season. Seattle has struggled as of late with aging Matt Hasselbeck at the helm, Steven Jackson is the lone bright spot in the inexperienced St. Louis offense, and Leinart and the Cards will fight an uphill battle without Pro Bowlers Kurt Warner and Anquan Boldin. However, we at Fantasy MVP know that you are not here to hear our speculations about the playoff picture. While the hype around the 49ers predicts a playoff berth, it does not necessarily imply fantasy studs. After a trip to 49ers camp today, we saw that those San Francisco skeptics may have some ground to stand on. Here is a look at the fantasy outlooks for the 49ers in the 2010 season.

    In offensive drills, 49ers receivers seemed competent at going up and getting the ball, however, their success is dependent upon undisputed starter Alex Smith. Although Smith has been struggling in camp, he remains the clear frontrunner according to the San Francisco front office. Despite this vote of confidence in Smith, his starting job is more a result of weak performances out of backup David Carr than Smith’s success in the pocket. Today at camp we saw up close and personal the errant throws and lacking pocket presence of Smith. Fantasy owners cannot afford to be as forgiving as the San Francisco coaching staff.  The tenth or eleventh round is too early for Smith.
    With struggles at the quarterback position, it is difficult to expect a high flying offense out of San Francisco. The 49ers receiving corps is stocked with young talent in Michael Crabtree, Josh Morgan, and Ted Ginn Jr., however these talents could go to waste. Crabtree’s speed and size have elevated him to a high end WR2 in most leagues, but Frisco's gameplan and inability to air it out may limit Crabtree's upside. The unproven second year receiver Crabtree looked good in one on one drills but had two drops in 7-on-7s and failed to break free from his defender before straining his neck. Although the injury is reported to be day to day and nothing to seriously worry about, we would advise a little caution before drafting Crabtree as your WR1. On the other hand, both Ginn and Morgan had successful days in camp today as reliable and speedy targets. Coach Mike Singletary intends on letting Ginn and Morgan compete for the number 2 receiver spot, but we expect Morgan to win it. Morgan has some upside in this battle and would be worth monitoring as a sleeper backup WR in deep leagues.
    However, not everything spelled disaster for the 49ers today in camp. TE Vernon Davis finally stepped up to expectations with a 13 touchdown performance last season in which he racked up 900+ yards. While this kind of production is unlikely to be repeated, Davis could become the safety valve of the 49ers offense on underneath passes. With strong hands and the athleticism to break tackles, Davis belongs in the pool of elite fantasy TEs. Similarly, RB Frank Gore is positioned to be one of few premier runningbacks in the NFL this season. The 49ers will be pressured to live up to expectations which means Gore will be responsible for carrying most of the 49ers offense. With his bruising running style and pass catching abilities, Gore remains a top option at RB1 for any fantasy owner.
      Glen Coffee surprisingly announced his retirement today, which is a real shame because he actually looked poised to be a real quality stand-in should Gore get injured, which he has in each of the last 3 seasons. It looks like unproven Anthony Dixon will be Gore's primary handcuff. This translates to even more job security for Gore.