Week 1 Fantasy Football Scouting Reports: San Francisco 49ers

From Niners Nation:

The San Francisco 49ers open their 2010 season against a Seattle Seahawks squad that could prove great fodder for fantasy success. The Seahawks have unloaded a variety of players as head coach Pete Carroll works to remake the team as his own, and it may cost them early on.

Frank Gore: Last season Gore had his best game and worst game in the 49ers two matchups with Seattle. During week 2, Gore had touchdown runs of 79 and 80 yards on his way to a 207 yard rushing performance, to go along with 39 receiving yards. A couple months later he finished with 25 yards on 9 carries. The 49ers improved their offensive line this offseason but will have to deal with the growing pains we see from rookie offensive linemen. Nonetheless, Gore is always a must-start.

Vernon Davis: Davis broke out big time last season, with his season high in yards coming at Seattle in week 13. Davis has to prove he can do this year in and year out, but if he can put up numbers like last year he’ll be considered one of the top 3 or 4 tight ends for fantasy purposes going forward. He’s in the must-start category at this point and if you drafted him, it’s highly unlikely you have a better tight end to start.

Michael Crabtree: Crabtree missed all four preseason games, but considering the time he missed before last year’s strong second half, fantasy owners should not worry. Alex Smith still has his fair share of question marks and he seems to be more comfortable with Vernon Davis, particularly in the red zone. Nonetheless, Crabtree is a guy who could put up some pretty big numbers in 2010.

49ers Defense: Many may not be aware of this, but the 49ers defense was the #1 fantasy scoring defense last season. Of course, much of that was due to a 30+ point outburst against the Rams (I believe). Nonetheless if they can develop some consistency, this is a turnover and sack machine worth a start most every week, but definitely this week against the Seahawks.

Sleeper: Josh Morgan or Ted Ginn could prove to be an interesting sleeper option. Ginn will be returning kicks so you might snag a kick return touchdown. He also will be operating as the #3 receiver hoping to stretch the defense. If he can actually catch the ball, Ginn could put up big numbers every so often. Morgan is the #2 WR and has quietly been overshadowed by the acquisition of Ginn, to go along with playing alongside Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree. But Morgan could get a fair amount of looks since he’s a lot less likely to be doubled as compared to Crabtree and Davis.