Week 6 - Vernon Davis has worked his way up the rankings and finds himself at #3 heading into his week 6 matchup with the New York Giants. Keep him active in all formats after he put up 17.3 fantasy points last Sunday.
Week 5 - Davis hauled in just 2 receptions for 28 yards in week 4 as the 49ers went to their ground attack. No 49ers recorded a receiving TD against the Jets as they protected their big lead. Keep Davis active in most formats as he will remain Smith’s favorite check down target, and see red zone looks when the 49ers are playing from behind.
Week 4 - Last week against the Vikings was more of the same from Davis, as he totaled 53 yards receiving and a TD. Davis will continue to see plenty of looks in the red zone as one of Smith’s most reliable targets, and in a ground and pound game against the Jets in week 4 we still have Vernon as a top 5 TE.
Week 2 – As expected, Davis’ favorable week 1 matchup played right into fantasy owners hands as he scored a TD, but he only managed 43 yards on 3 catches. Now heading into week 2, Davis has fallen out of our top 10 TE’s as he gets a much less favorable matchup against the Detroit Lions. The 49ers will do what they do best, ball control with their quartet of RB’s, and the WR’s + TE’s will have limited targets. If you have a better option at TE for week 2, use it, as Davis is a very low end TE1 for this week.
Week 1 – For the record, Vernon Davis is not our projected #3 overall TE for the 2012 season. But in week 1, he comes in at #3 thanks to an incredibly favorable matchup against the Green Bay Packers. Last season, the Packers allowed 1184 yards and 9 TD’s to tight ends, and in a game where the 49ers figure to use their RB’s extensively, we expect to see plenty of checkdowns from Alex Smith being directed Davis’ way. This will be one of the best matchups of the year for Davis, and he should be plugged in as a starter in all formats for week 1.
Preseason Analysis
Vernon Davis almost received a huge boost in the tight end rankings over the past offseason, but then Peyton Manning chose the Broncos, Alex Smith re-signed with the 49ers, and the rest is history. Davis has been a steady presence for the 49ers since 2006 when he played in just 10 games. Since 2008, Vernon has appeared in every game for the 49ers, but has yet to break 1000 yards receiving. Based on the light passing offense in San Francisco, we don’t see a significant increase in numbers for Davis in 2012, and while he is a solid option, he is not an elite pick at the TE position for the upcoming fantasy football season.
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2009 stats – 16 games – 78 Receptions, 965 Yards(12.4 Average), 13 TD’s, 0 Fum
2010 stats – 16 games – 56 Receptions, 914 Yards(16.3 Average), 7 TD’s, 0 Fum
2011 stats – 16 games – 67 Receptions, 792 Yards(11.8 Average), 6 TD’s, 3 Fum/ 1 Lost
