2013 san francisco 49ers Fantasy Preview
Alex Smith enjoyed one of the best years of his career last season, at least until he went out with an injury. In stepped Colin Kaepernick, who would take the 49ers to the Super Bowl and also delivered some punch to many fantasy enthusiasts' lineups. The Nevada product perfected the read-option offense, and there were few quarterbacks better than him down the stretch. Look for Kaepernick to make the jump to further fantasy stardom in 2013. Michael Crabtree finished in the top 15 in points among wideouts, but he suffered an Achilles injury in OTAs and is now all but undraftable for 2013. Frank Gore had another solid season, and he figures to once again excel behind one of the league's best lines, despite having reached the dreaded age of 30. Regardless, he should still be considered an attractive No. 2 fantasy runner across the board.
7
Colin
Kaepernick
QB - 49ers
Smith is now in Kansas City, which means Kaepernick will not have to look over his shoulder. Not that he necessarily would have after leading the Niners to the Super Bowl. The team added Anquan Boldin to be a complement to Crabtree. But after Crabtree's injury, Boldin is going to be expected to shoulder a much bigger portion of the load than was originally thought. As if their defense needed to get any better, the team added FS Eric Reid and DE Cornellius Carradine in the first two rounds of the NFL draft. Reid will help fill the void left by DB Dashon Goldson, who left for the Buccaneers as a free agent. Veteran CB Nnamdi Asomugha and DL Glenn Dorsey were also signed this offseason.
Don't expect Gore to slow down despite the fact that he's hit the age of 30. Again, he will be behind one of the best offensive lines in the league. The key will be to identify the receiver who will emerge as the top option opposite Boldin. A.J. Jenkins makes the most sense. He wasn't asked to do a lot last year, but he certainly has the talent to make it happen if he's good enough to earn the opportunity. Vernon Davis had just five touchdowns last year and was down right unstartable at times, but he'll be asked to do more with Crabtree on the sidelines.He remains a risk-reward No. 1 fantasy tight end.
| POS | FIRST | SECOND | THIRD | OTHER |
| QB | Colin Kaepernick | Colt McCoy | Scott Tolzien | B.J. Daniels |
| RB | Frank Gore | Kendall Hunter | LaMichael James | Anthony Dixon |
| WR | Anquan Boldin | A.J. Jenkins | Kyle Williams | Mario Manningham |
| TE | Vernon Davis | Vance McDonald | Demarcus Dobbs | Garett Celek |
| K | Phil Dawson | - | - | - |
( ) Projected Round
| # | Name | Pos. Rank |
| 1 | Frank Gore | 16 |
| 2 | Colin Kaepernick | 7 |
| 3 | Vernon Davis | 5 |
| 4 | 49ers defense | 2 |
| 5 | Anquan Boldin | 40 |
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