Is Vernon Davis the best TE in football?
San Francisco 49′ers tightend Vernon Davis was nearly cast aside as a draft bust, but is he on the verge of becoming the NFL’s best player at that position. I’ve read numerous fantasy football positional projections this offseason and many seem to think that Davis was a fluke last year and he’ll be a bust this season. I don’t think so.
I believe Davis is poised to become the dominant tightend this year. Last season, Davis caught 78 receptions for just short of 1,000 yards while scoring 13 touchdowns. It’s not just Davis’ talent that will make him the dominant tightend, but the emergence of WR Michael Crabtree and the addition of Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati as well. Crabtree makes defenses respect the deep threat, opening up passing lanes. Davis and Iupati are aggressive offensive linemen who will only help to improve the Niners running game as well.
The cuurent benchmark for tightends in the league is San Diego Chargers end, Antonio Gates. Yes, he still is a very productive player and will be a top three tight end this season, but he has dealt with more foot injuries this offseason, something Gates has dealt with during the past two seasons.
San Diego has some serious issues heading into the season. WR Vincent Jackson and LT Marcus McNeill are both threatening to hold out the first 10 games of the regular season. The Chargers are going to start rookie RB Ryan Matthews in the backfield. A Chargers receiving corps without Jackson leaves some unproven players and Malcom Floyd who is nothing more than a #2 possession receiver. These factors will all weight on Gates’ productivity in 2010.
So this year during your fantasy football draft, let your opponents select Dallas Clark, Antonio Gates, even Jermichael Finley and Bret Cek ahead of Davis. Then swoop in to select Davis and watch him help you win your league.
49ers Position Breakdown: O-Tackles
Next up in the positions breakdowns are the offensive tackles.
Joe Staley
Last season Staley was the unanimous best lineman that the 49ers had, this year could be different. The 49er Faithful are hoping that Staley’s knee is heeled but we have seen time and time again that it takes a year if ever to recover from a knee injury that involves ligaments. If Staley is back to full strength, he will be the 49er’s starting left tackle and a good one at that.
Anthony Davis
The 49ers need Davis to be good right away. For a team that would like to run the ball, the right tackle position is key. Last year no one on the team was able to hold down that spot. Davis is big even by NFL lineman standards. He also is very athletic and could be a stalwart on the 49ers offensive line for years to come.
Adam Snyder
Every good offensive line needs a sixth man who’s a jack-of-all-trades, a guy who in case of injury, can play tackle or guard and can be used on either side of the line. This year for the 49ers that will be Adam Snyder. Last year’s starting right tackle is a quality back up but isn’t good enough to be a starter.
Barry Sims
With injuries to Staley and Snyder last year, Sims got quite a bit of playing time. Sims did a great job while filling in at left tackle. The 11-year veteran is a great player to have on the team because he brings experience and knowledge to a rather young group of offensive linemen.
Alex Boone
The former Buckeye has gone through a lot over the past couple of years. He fell in the draft because of his character issues, people questioned his work ethic when he came to camp overweight, and he never really caught on with the 49ers. This year seems a bit different; Boone came in looking like he went on the “Biggest Loser” show and came out a winner. This guy probably will be put back on the practice squad.
Chris Patrick
Patrick will probably be the odd man out and might not even make the practice squad.
