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2008 Team Preview by RotoExperts.com Senior Writer Jonathan Phillips.
OVERVIEW
San Francisco was borne out of the gold rush and mass migration of those who had the gumption to brave moving across the Wild West for a chance to claim their fortune. If you're a fantasy player, you better have that same risk-taking personality if you plan to draft any 49ers this year, because it depends on how much you like you to gamble. To give you an idea of just how important the position of quarterback is, one needs to look no further than the San Francisco 49ers. Since the departure of Jeff Garcia, the 49ers have not seen the playoffs. And not since the days of Steve Young have they been even close to the franchise they once were. So it's not surprising that the most important battle going into this year's training camp is between the quarterbacks. For Mike Nolan, who he selects may very well determine if he makes it to the fifth and final year of his contract. Last season, a 2-0 start built against division rivals Arizona and St. Louis raised some eyebrows. Then the 49ers lost eight straight, which caused some wrinkles. Alex Smith suffered a shoulder injury in Week Four, and that ailment would sideline him for much of this third season. What evolved during that break was a tête-à-tête (that was more apt for a saloon) between head coach and the former number one draft pick. Their offense faltered further, finishing 20th in points scored per game and last in yards. The defense ranked 25th in yards allowed and last in scoring. Nolan was in dire need of a strike. So, Nolan brought in the Phil Hellmuth of offensive prospectors, Mike Martz. Martz's influence alone may make the 49ers a team to examine more carefully for fantasy purposes. During Martz's seven years in St. Louis, his offense ranked first three times and second once. During his two years in Detroit, the offense improved from 28th to 16th. Joining him is Chris Foerster, who is charged with reshaping the offensive line in tandem with former coordinator George Warhop. Both actually split line duty, one passing, one running, but all that matters to the competitive trio of Alex Smith, Shaun Hill, and J. T. O'Sullivan is that they don't end up throwing from their back. Nolan claims that the rift is mended, and all signs point to a defense returning to health. There are some gold nuggets to be mined here – the question for Nolan is... do they add up to a little fortune? |
PROJECTED DEPTH CHART Players listed in order of fantasy relevance. Recommended round to draft in standard 10 to 12-team leagues with 16 rounds in parentheses. Quarterback: Alex Smith (9), Shaun Hill (13), J. T. O'Sullivan Running Back: Frank Gore (1), DeShaun Foster (6), Michael Robinson Wide Receiver: Isaac Bruce (11) , Bryant Johnson (10), Arnaz Battle, Ashley Lelie Tight End: Vernon Davis (5) Kicker: Joe Nedney NOTABLE PLAYER MOVES Additions: WR Isaac Bruce, RB DeShaun Foster, WR Bryant Johnson, QB J.T. O'Sullivan, CB-KR Allen Rossum Subtractions: QB Trent Dilfer, WR Darrell Jackson, DE Marques Douglas, OT Kwame Harris, RB Maurice Hicks  | Lots of history, but not much in recent years. Photo Credit: USGOV-NASA |
2008 ROOKIES TO WATCH Round One: Kentwan Balmer, DE, North Carolina
Round Five: Chilo Rachal, OG, USC TOP POSITION BATTLE Quarterback: Alex Smith vs. Shaun Hill vs. J.T. O'Sullivan 2008 SCHEDULE Top matchups in bold Sept. 7: Arizona
Sept. 14: @Seattle
Sept. 21: Detroit
Sept. 28: @New Orleans
Oct. 5: New England
Oct. 12: Philadelphia
Oct. 19: @NY Giants
Oct 26: Seattle
Nov. 2: BYE
Nov. 10: @Arizona
Nov. 16: St. Louis
Nov. 23: @Dallas
Nov. 30: @Buffalo
FANTASY PLAYOFF MATCHUPS
Dec. 7: NY Jets
Dec. 14: @Miami
Dec. 21: @St. Louis
Dec 28: Washington  | ENGEL EYE ON: THE SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS | I am not convinced the arrival of Mike Martz can pump much life into the San Francisco offense. Coaches don't catch passes for their players. Martz clearly has a thin group of receivers to work with here, so I am not looking at his past results to govern the outlook here. Martz is no miracle worker. He couldn't cure ills in Detroit and his best years came when he had much more talented players in St. Louis. The receiving group is very shaky, as is the QB situation, and Frank Gore is quite good, but he is no Marshall Faulk. I am still very, very wary of picking any Niners for fantasy purposes. |
2008 FANTASY POSITIONAL OUTLOOKS Quarterback
If John Facenda were alive, the narration to the 49ers quarterback conundrum would not be unlike his introduction to one of the many franchise videos he narrated: Picture yourself in this difficult situation… The 49ers signed Alex Smith to a $56 million contract, and about half of that total was guaranteed. What should have been his benchmark third year was cut short by a shoulder injury. Shaun Hill has been in the league for nearly seven years, and he has appearances in only four games to show for it. J.T. O'Sullivan is a Martz protégé and possibly a favorite. Nolan claims that all of these quarterbacks are in the running, and even O'Sullivan has taken reps with the first squad. However, the only sensible choice for fantasy owners is Smith. Money aside, quarterbacks take time to develop in the league, and Smith's 2006 suggested that he was headed that direction. Doubters will point to Hill's three-game stint last year, where he completed nearly 70 percent of his passes with a 5:1 TD/INT ratio, as reason enough to dump Smith. Hill's astounding performance, though, came when the season was lost. He had absolutely nothing to lose, because the team was 3-10. This says nothing about what kind of quarterback Hill will be in the clutch, or whether he'll be the guy on whom the 49ers can pin their season's hopes from Week One. Even if Smith loses the job, he'll get it back in no time. If you want to take a quarterback from this team, go with Smith late and hope Martz comes through with the miracles he's delivered for every other team he's coached.
 | | Will Frank Gore have to shoulder too much of an offensive load this year? Photo Credit: Icon SMI |
Running Back
Just two years ago, Frank Gore shocked the fantasy faithful by finishing third overall in the league with 1,695 yards and eight touchdowns. He also added 61 receptions for another 489 yards. The only complaints to be made was that the San Francisco offense limited his scoring chances, and that he fumbled six times, losing five of them. More concerns arose in 2007, when Gore's yards per carry dropped from the stellar 5.4 in 2006 to 4.2, though he still led the team in receptions. With an offensive line that is far removed from the league's best, Gore's ideal draft position as a top-tier running star is placed into question. However, at 25 and with his hands and speed, expect Martz to tag Frank Gore as his next Marshall Faulk prototype. Plus, we can add in the bonus of a true solid second runner backing him up in DeShaun Foster. While Foster has been fragile at times, he's still a skilled runner who shows a good burst. Foster will provide Gore's knees with time to rest during drives, and Michael Robinson will provide added depth. Robinson's knee injury will keep him out during the preseason, but when healthy, he's an elusive runner. Even with a faltering line, Gore's opportunities will abound, particularly with Martz designing the offense. He's a late first / early second-round pick, depending on if you're Phil Ivey (aggressive) or Dan Harrington (cautious). Wide Receiver
Much like Doyle Brunson is to the poker world, Isaac Bruce a legend of the game, and seemingly just as old. His 15 year tenure in the league is a testament to his smarts and abilities. Though he has eight 1,000-yard seasons, only once in his career has Bruce surpassed 100 receptions. To label Bruce with a fantasy term -- for most of his career he has been the perfect WR2. The problem is, although he enjoyed his best seasons under the Martz system, he's now being asked to be a No. 1 WR. Joining him is the barely used and supposedly talented Bryant Johnson, a receiver whose wear and tear was spared in Arizona by the dynamic duo of Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. Johnson never got the opportunities that he says he wanted in Arizona. His best season came the year Fitzgerald arrived, while Boldin was hurt, where he racked up 49 receptions and 537 yards. Rounding out the depth chart are mirror disappointments Arnaz Battle and Ashley Lelie. In a younger day, this group would have been considered as rich as a full gold deposit. But Bruce's best days are behind him. His explosiveness is gone. Johnson has size and strength but lacks focus. Battle, while reliable, has had separation issues, and we're not talking marriage. Lelie's string of season busts is the thing of which notorious legends are made. Bruce will provide solid receptions and is worth a WR3 slot on your fantasy roster. But if there's one receiver who could still provide solid fantasy numbers, it's Johnson. He's a worthy consideration in the late rounds as a sleeper pick. Tight End
You might consider Vernon Davis the Mike "The Mouth" Matusow of the group. His reckless and pounding style instills fears in defenses, yet it has betrayed his body to the tune of two years, two leg injuries. Last year, he showed his potential even amidst a season marred with leg injuries, grabbing 52 receptions out of 82 targets, and pitching in four scores. Martz claims that he has been impressed with Davis during OTA's, but keep in mind that Martz's system emphasizes the WRs first. The best a tight end has done in a Martz offense was Ernie Conwell's 38 reception, four touchdown year. Thus, unless Martz follows through with his promise to push Davis into the slot, Davis could be in for a frustrating year. The Niners depth at TE is weak, with only H-back Delanie Walker likely to be the recipient of looks should Davis go down again. Third option Billy Bajema is known for his blocking abilities. Kicker
Joe Nedney was one of the top kickers last year, hitting all of his PATs and 17-of-19 field goals. He totaled only 73 points, though that low point total has more to do with him waiting for opportunities from one of the league's poorest offenses. So yes, maybe he's been as cool under pressure as Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, but you should approach Nedney as you would when getting into a pot with the 2000 WSOP Main Event champ: simply stay away. Defense/Special Teams
It's never bad to build a defense around the reigning NFC Defensive Rookie of the Year. Patrick Willis is the leader of this defense, having become the NFL's leading tackler last year with 174. He can play sideline-to-sideline as well as any linebacker in the game. The line boasts some developing players, many of whom suffered injury in 2007. Nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin, one of the guys who fought injury last year, will have to work hard to keep Isaac Sopoaga from unseating him. Rookie number one pick Kentwan Balmer is expected to play a big role on one side of the line in his first season. The linebackers have to improve to make the 3-4 work, and the hope is that Parys Haralson will spurn Tully Banta-Cain to reach his numbers of 2006, when he delivered 5.5 sacks for New England. On the other side of the field, 2006 first round pick Manny Lawson lost pretty much all of last season to an injury, going down in the third week. He'll battle Brandon L. Moore, who seemed to take a step back last year after leading the team in tackles in 2006. The secondary features Nate Clements, who hasn't quite yet earned the $80 million contract he signed in '07, even though he did lead the team in passes defensed. Walt Harris is a solid coverage corner, but not much of a tackler. He was tied with Clements for the team lead in interceptions. Strong safety Michael Lewis was second on the team in tackles, and Mark Roman is considered a brutal hitter. After the defensive unit finished ranked twentieth in points allowed, new defensive coordinator Greg Manusky will be expected to organize this group of gamblers into a fierce posse. Offensive Line
Joe Staley is thrust into the left tackle role, one which will determine how strong this line is to a large extent. He was their best lineman last year on the right side, and his foot speed is considered a natural match for the all-important blind side protector. Considering this unit yielded 55 sacks last year, the most in football, the 49ers passing game will follow wherever Staley goes. Eric Heitmann is a strong center, considering he was intended to play guard and lines up next to underachieving tackle-now-turned-guard, Adam Snyder. If rookie fourth-round pick Cody Wallace grows into the Martz scheme, Heitmann could return to his natural guard position. The retirement of Larry Allen leaves veteran Jonas Jennings to fight off rookie Chilo Rachal to keep his tackle spot, though Rachal could fill in for injured David Baas, who tore a pectoral muscle in the off-season. The success or failure of this unit will determine whether the 49ers are even competitive. Jonathan Phillips tried to strike gold in his apartment. The tenants below are not happy about the hole in their ceiling. Please send patchwork advice to
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