2014 Review
As has been the case in previous years, the San Francisco 49ers didn't really put much of a dent into the fantasy football world last year. The much-maligned Colin Kaepernick finished as the 16th-best fantasy quarterback—a major disappointment from preseason expectations. Meanwhile, Michael Crabtree tallied just 698 receiving yards and four touchdowns in what would be his last season with the team. However, the biggest disappointment came in the form of Vernon Davis, who caught just 26 passes for 245 yards.
It wasn't all doom and gloom. Displaying a consistent level of performance few others have shown, Anquan Boldin put up 80-plus receptions for 1,000-plus yards for seventh time in his career. This enabled Boldin to finished as a bottom end WR2. In addition to this, Frank Gore found a way to finish as a mid-tier RB2 in his final season with the 49ers.
Veteran Additions
This is where it gets pretty interesting. San Francisco added two veterans in Torrey Smith and Reggie Bush, both of whom have had a fantasy impact in the past. Smith finished last season as the 19th-best fantasy receiver, talling nearly 800 receiving yards with 11 touchdowns.
As it relates to Bush, the 30-year-old running back is coming off an injury-plagued 2014 campaign that saw him put up less than 300 rushing yards in 11 games. Though, it's important to note that Bush is just one year removed from putting up over 1,500 total yards and finishing as a RB1 option in standard 12-team leagues.
As to where Smith will likely make an impact as a top-end FLEX option opposite Boldin, Bush's fantasy value just isn't there. Outside of a potential third-down role, the veteran isn't going to get enough touches to make much of an impact. He's stuck behind budding star Carlos Hyde, who will get a vast majority of the reps in the backfield. See where this position is trending early in the season, and potentially look to add Bush as a waiver-wire option. He's not a draftable commodity.
NFL Draft
This is much more about dynasty leagues than anything else. Surprisingly, San Francisco waited until the fourth round to add a skill position player. That came in the form of quarterback-turned-tight end Blake Bell, who is stuck behind Davis, Derek Carrier and Vance McDonald on the depth chart. Unless you are in a deep dyno league that implements an extended rookie draft, he's not a fantasy option.
The one player to look at here is former South Carolina running back Mike Davis, who many considered a Day 1 prospect entering the 2014 season. Consistency issues saw him drop to Round 5. And while Davis isn't an option in standard re-draft leagues, he could very well be a deep sleeper in dyno leagues. Former Georgia Tech receiver DeAndre Smelter, who tore his ACL last season, is going to miss the entire 2015 campaign. He's a talent to keep your eye on down the road.
Potential Breakout Star
Carlos Hyde. Carlos Hyde. Carlos Hyde. This former Ohio State running back is going to finish the 2015 season as a top-10 fantasy running back. You can take that to the bank. Despite losing both Mike Iupati and Anthony Davis this offseason, San Francisco still possesses plus-level run blocking. And for his part, Hyde showed flashes of brilliance as a rookie last season. If the former second-round pick gets the 20-plus touches he's anticipating per game, there's no reason to believe he can't put up 1,500-plus total yards and 10-plus scores. There's a reason San Francisco parted ways with Frank Gore. His name is Carlos Hyde.
Potential Disappointment
I would go with Kaepernick here, but it's hard to imagine he's going to produce in a lesser capacity than we saw during the 2014 season. That's only magnified by the addition of talent on offense. Instead, let's look at Vernon Davis again. Most people chalked last year up to a contract stalemate and issues with San Francisco's scheme, but Davis was a shell of his former self. It remains to be seen if he's ever going to produce at the level we saw earlier this decade. And with a ton of athletic young tight ends on the roster, San Francisco might not wait for Davis to break out of his slump. At this point, I don't envision Davis even being a top-20 fantasy tight end.
Projected Statistics | Player | Stats |
| Colin Kaepernick | 3,600 passing yards, 750 rushing yards, 25 total touchdowns and 14 interceptions |
| Carlos Hyde | 1,300 rushing yards, 200 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns |
| Reggie Bush | 350 rushing yards, 300 receiving yards and four touchdowns |
| Anquan Boldin | 70 receptions, 900 yards and seven touchdowns |
| Torrey Smith | 50 receptions, 800 yards and eight touchdowns |
| Vernon Davis | 35 receptions, 400 yards and three touchdowns |