San Francisco 49ers 2010 Tight End Preview
Vernon Davis
The sixth-pick in the 2006 draft finally came through with a breakout
2010 fantasy season. Blame it on injuries, bad quarterbacks or whatever,
but we can now see that indeed, Vernon Davis is the real-deal at
tight end. Davis did post 52 receptions for 501 yards and four touchdowns
in 14 games in 2007, which adds legitimacy to his 2009 performance.
Of course Davis' success will greatly depend on the 49er's quarterback
play which has been dismal most of his career. But Alex Smith, the
1st overall pick of the 2005 draft, finally showed signs of being
at least a decent NFL quarterback. The better he plays, the more
Davis will produce.
The development of mega-talent receiver Michael Crabtree is key
to Alex Smith's success as well as Vernon Davis'. It can't be said
enough, having a big-play receiver to attract double-coverage away
from the middle of the field will give the tight ends more opportunity
to get open and get big yards. Though you would imagine that Davis'
touchdown numbers would decrease from his phenomenal 13 in 2009.
Davis does carry some risk because of his inconsistent quarterback
and thus Gates, who is essentially tied with Davis, is ranked ahead
of him going into preseason. If you want to take a small gamble,
select Davis and you may just get the number one tight end in fantasy
football.
2009 Statistics:
78 Rec - 965 Yds - 13 TD's
2010 Projection: 84
Rec - 1,010 Yds - 10 TD's
