by Dave Richard | Senior Fantasy Writer (4:47 pm ET) Earlier this week the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat reported that Vernon Davis worked at receiver during the team's recent minicamp, not at the traditional tight end spot he's been accustomed to. So I thought I'd get an idea of just how often Davis lined up off the line of scrimmage last year.
With a huge hat tip to ProFootballFocus.com founder Neil Hornsby we now know that Davis lined up as a tight end, be it in a basic set or as part of a two-tight end formation, on 798 plays. He lined up in the slot or out wide like a receiver 268 plays. And he lined up as a fullback 16 plays. He also sparingly lined up as a tackle, doing so 16 times. Point is that he lined up in a non-traditional spot roughly 25 percent of the time last year. Seeing that bump up to, say, 75 percent of the time this year seems off. But that's small potatoes all things considered -- his being on the field 95-plus percent of the time combined with an expected bump in targets is what Fantasy owners need for him to be an asset. That's why he's still a consensus Top 7 tight end among our Fantasy rankings and could inch his way into the Top 5 before too long.
Vernon Davis working as a receiver in camp
by Dave Richard | Senior Fantasy Writer (10:49 am ET) In the wake of wideout Michael Crabtree's torn Achilles sidelining him for what's believed to be the majority of the regular season, 49ers tight end Vernon Davis worked out as a receiver during the team's recent minicamp, according to the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat. He lined up on the outside while teammate Anquan Boldin worked in the slot. With the progress Vance McDonald has made since joining the team (the coaches have been hyping him quite a bit), Davis could be free to line up other than as an in-line tight end more often.
According to ProFootballFocus.com, Davis caught 26 of his 41 passes outside the numbers with only one drop in those areas (three total).
Davis unconcerned with stats
by Dave Richard | Senior Fantasy Writer (5/29/13) Once upon a time 49ers tight end Vernon Davis told CBSSports.com in an interview that he wanted to be the first player to catch for 1,000 yards and run for 1,000 yards in the same season. As a young player he was very interested in his numbers. But after a recent offseason practice he told reporters the exact opposite when asked how his role could change with Michael Crabtree out for the next six months. "I dont know what to expect, Ill leave that up to the coaches," Davis said per the official team website. All I can do is do my job and do what they ask me to do. Im here to contribute in any form or fashion. ... Im not worried about the numbers. Im not worried about anything like that. Im just here to do my job."
Davis gets boost in value
by Jamey Eisenberg | Senior Fantasy Writer (5/22/13)USA Today reports 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree tore his Achilles tendon on Tuesday and will undergo surgery. It is not known if he will try to play this season. While this injury hurts the 49ers, it should help tight end Vernon Davis, who could become the No. 1 option now for quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Davis hits the century mark
by Igor Mello | CBSSports.com (2/3/13) 49ers tight end Vernon Davis turned in another productive performance as he reached the century mark for the second straight game during Super Bowl XLVII against the Ravens. Davis was targeted eight times as he finished with eight catches for 104 yards in a 34-31 defeat.
06/07/2013 10:02 Overrated-underrated: Broncos' nickel DB Harris worth every penny
Justin Tuck used to be on the list of elite pass rushers. Now he tops Pete Prisco's annual list of overrated players. As for underrated? Prisco says Broncos nickel corner Chris Harris is worth every penny.
Vernon Davis is expected to take on a bigger role in 2013 than he had in 2012 because of Michael Crabtree (Achilles) going down. For Fantasy owners, that means seeing the Davis from the playoffs show up all year compared to the guy who disappeared once Colin Kaepernick was the starter. Davis finished the regular season last year with 41 catches for 548 yards and five touchdowns. They were easily his worst stats since 2008, the year before his breakout season. Davis struggled to develop a rapport with Kaepernick until the postseason, when Davis took off. In his final two postseason games he had 11 catches for 210 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons and Ravens. We hope he can build on that performance, and Davis is too talented to overlook as anything but a No. 1 Fantasy tight end, especially with the injury to Crabtree. Plan on drafting Davis with a pick in Round 6 or 7. (Updated 5/29/13)