San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis (85) Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis checks in at #5 on my list. There is not much to be said about Davis that everybody doesn’t know already. He’s a lean, mean, touchdown machine.
Davis is one of the premier red zone players in the NFL. If the 49ers are about to score, there’s a good chance the ball will be in Davis’ hands by the end of the play. Last season, Davis reached pay dirt 13 times, a career high for the veteran Pro Bowler.
While Davis was the 2nd best fantasy tight end last season, I expect that to go down a little bit this year. For one, he is getting a little old. At 30, he still has plenty of good years ahead of him, but it is unclear if he has already reached his peak.
Another problem is the 49ers receiver depth. While San Francisco was wide receiver thin in the past, the 49ers added Bruce Ellington and Stevie Johnson in the offseason to add to Michael Crabtree and Anquan Boldin.
Sure, quarterback Colin Kaepernick might be looking to his new receivers more, but theres no doubt he is looking for in the end zone.