One of the bigger story lines in camp so far as been the use of the tight end in the Mike Martz offense.  The 49ers have two extremely talented tight ends, something Mike Martz has never had.  Maiocco ran the stats and came up with the following:

1999, Rams: Roland Williams 25 catches, 226 yards, 6 TDs

2000, Rams: Williams 11-102-3

2001, Rams: Ernie Conwell 38-431-4

2002, Rams: Conwell 34-419-2

2003, Rams: Brandon Manumaleuna 29-238-2

2004, Rams: Manumaleuna 15-174-1

2005, Rams: Manumaleuna 13-129-1

2006, Lions: Dan Campbell 21-308-4

2007, Lions: Sean McHugh 17-252-0

Last season, Vernon Davis finished with 53-509-4 and Delanie Walker finished with 21-174-1.  I first thought of this post after reading a Mike Sando post at the ESPN NFC West blog (a quality read every day):

I see no obvious evidence the 49ers are making a concerted effort to tailor the passing game for tight end Vernon Davis. I'm hesitant to read too much into that because Martz continues to install the offense; this might not be the time to get that specific.

Sando had a chance to chat with Mike Martz about Davis and others and received some quality insights from the mad scientist. While Martz wants blocking from his tight ends, he also recognizes the unique abilities of Vernon Davis.

The most interesting point was that the Duke's reception total may not increase, but they'd like a nice increase in his yards per catch.  On this point, Sando made a comment that I think I disagree with:

As for Davis: We should not become preoccupied with the number of receptions. In fact, if Davis is catching a disproportionate number of passes, the offense might not be functioning very well.

I don't know if I buy that in regards to Davis.  He is significantly more athletic than your traditional tight end that stays close to the line of scrimmage.  Even if Davis is just receiving a dump off, he's got the size and speed to break it into a big play (see his first touchdown reception as a rookie).  He is enough like a wide receiver that if his reception numbers go up, I don't see it as a necessarily bad thing.  Although, as Sando mentions in that article, it'd be really nice to see his yards per reception go up.

The preseason usually sees teams run rather vanilla offenses.  While we won't see a lot of trickery, I hope we'll get a chance to see what Davis and Walker can do on the field together.  Earlier this month I made my semi-rational irrational prediction that Vernon Davis would make the Pro Bowl.  I don't know what kind of numbers to expect from Walker, but I'd imagine he'd fill a slightly more traditional tight end role.  We won't get all the answers we want in August, but it's certainly one more reason to watch preseason football.

Since we're just going to discuss 49ers, I imagine it's not really giving away my entire draft strategy.  However, aside from Frank Gore, many of the players discussed would be sleeper-type players.  Up to this point we've had some very brief discussions of the 49ers potential fantasy impact.  The preseason will answer some more questions, but in the the meantime, I thought I'd give the 49ers roster a once-over and throw out guys who could have some sort of fantasy impact. 

Including our Niners Nation Fantasy League (register for the free drawing by Thursday!), I'm in 3 fantasy football leagues.  One is a dynasty league where you keep an entire 28 man roster.  Another is a keeper league in which you can keep up to 3 players.  The NN league is a year-by-year league without keepers (at least not yet).  I mention all this because this analysis is aimed at one and done leagues.  Keeper and Dynasty leagues are a little too involved with each league having a million different rules that impact certain players' value.  In a one-and-done league you can account for most, if not all the variables.

QB
Alex Smith: If he is the starter, he's got the arm and ability to put up some quality numbers.  If he looks to be the starter, I think he's definitely worth a late round pick as your backup QB if you've got a very strong #1 option.  If you waited too long and grabbed a guy like David Garrard, you might want a more solid backup option.

Shaun Hill: When I see him in action he comes across as more of the game manager type who will win football games, but won't put up huge numbers.  He put up a nice 3 TDs against TB, but didn't break 200 yards in any of this 3 appearances.  I think he definitely falls into the better real QB than fantasy QB (which I have no problem with as a 49ers fan).

RB
Frank Gore: Gore is a no-doubt first round pick thanks to the huge combined yards I fully expect.  He managed to finish 10th in points for running backs, in spite of the 49ers anemic offense.  And, if you're in a league that offers a point per reception, I think he's absolute gold.

DeShaun Foster: His only real value is as a handcuff to Frank Gore if you're concerned about injuries.  This offense is built around Gore and Foster is not going to put up the kind of numbers that would justify having him on your roster.

TE
Vernon Davis: Davis is going to put up big time fantasy points this year.  He finished 15th among tight ends last year after his 52 receptions, 509 yards a 4 TDs.  ESPN is  projecting 59/623/6 but I think his receptions and yards could be even bigger.  Mike Martz wants to take advantage of his speed a little more often, meaning bigger plays and more yards.  I don't know if he'll necessarily crack the Witten/Gates/Gonzalez/Cooley barrier, but I think he could get to the 5th or 6th spot this season.  I think the Duke is a very viable option as a starting TE.  If you can get Cooley, Witten, etc... maybe you go with them as a safe pick, but I think Davis's upside is immense.

Delanie Walker: I include him here only because the discussion around Walker has been more prominent this year than last.  Martz has really taken a liking to Walker and it makes me curious about him.  I don't think he has a lot of value in a normal league, but he's got keeper potential.  He's a guy worth keeping an eye on as a potential waiver wire steal.

WR
Bryant Johnson: I go with Johnson first because I think for the 2008 season, he has the most fantasy upside.  He's out of the shadow of Boldin and Fitzgerald and looking to make a name for himself.  He could be a spectacular crash and burn, but he might be worth a look as your 3rd or 4th receiver.

Isaac Bruce: I'm not sure how much Bruce has left in the tank, but if he stays healthy and relatively fresh, he gives Smith/Hill the most consistent target they've ever had.  ESPN thinks projects 65 receptions, 866 yards and 6 touchdowns.  While those aren't spectacular, they would blow away anything the 49ers put on the field last year.  For now Bruce is a bye-week fill in but if the offense gets it going, he could be an ok flex option.

Arnaz Battle: It'll be interesting to see if his numbers go down because of the increase in receiving options.  ESPN points to him in a Mike Furrey role in the slot, and to quote them it isn't a bad thing.  He'll never be spectacular but he's probably a good bye week fill in if you have multiple byes with which to contend.  Did anybody here have him on their fantasy team as more than a bye week fill in?

Others: Jason Hill probably has the most upside of the remaining wide receivers if he can stay healthy, but he'll be on the waiver wire so no need to spend a pick on him.  Ashley Lelie is injured and has a lot of work to do before he can become a productive fantasy receiver.

Kicking
Joe Nedney: With only 19 field goal attempts, Nedney was not a viable fantasy option.  If the 49ers can move the ball a little more, he's consistent enough to be worth a look.  Until then he's a better real kicker than fantasy kicker.

Defense
I steadfastly maintain that this defense has the potential to be a top 10 defense.  Fantasy-wise, the 49ers were one of the worst producing defenses.  Until they develop a legit pass-rush they cannot be relied on in fantasy football.  While turnovers and points off turnovers are certainly possible, they cannot be relied upon.

Some leagues do offer IDPs, or individual defensive players, although ours will not be one of those leagues.  If you're in an IDP league, Patrick Willis is obviously money in the bank and will probably be one of the first defensive players taken.  Justin Smith might be worth a look if he is going to be spending a lot of time in the outside linebacker role.  If the pass rush develops, Nate Clements will have value as a pass rush means more hurried passes, meaning the potential for more interceptions.  Also, he finished 2nd among cornerbacks in tackles, so that's certainly a plus for fantasy purposes.

So, there you have it.  Aside from Frank Gore and Vernon Davis, a lot of the 49ers fantasy potential ranges between not much and high risk.  I guess it just comes down to whether you're a gambler or not.

Yesterday came the news that Delanie Walker was inked to a contract extension through 2012.  Walker's deal appears to be a 3-year deal worth $6 million, including a $1.8 million signing bonus.  This comes on the heels of Michael Robinson signing his own three year extension for $3.525 million, including a $1.2 million signing bonus.  Both players rookie contracts expire after 2009.

Between the two of them, in two seasons they've combined for 237 rushing yards, 43 receptions, 324 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns.  Delanie Walker is a backup tight end and Michael Robinson is the third string running back.  On the surface this would not seem like much to write home about.  Of course, here at Niners Nation, neither Walker nor Robinson is thought of in such traditional terms.

Delanie Walker
Walker is definitely a fan favorite of many and his potential has folks rather excited.  Vernon Davis is the future of the 49ers at tight end, but Walker is a guy who can definitely make an impact.  The 49ers seem to think the same thing with this extension.  Furthermore, Mike Martz has been impressed with what Walker has brought to the table so far in practice:

"Wow. That's how I would say it. Wow. He has some real wow factor to him. He is such a professional and he works so hard at it. He's such a stickler for detail. You talk about some jets and some ability to run and eat up the field. Holy cow. I didn't know anything about Delanie until I got here. The last week or two, we put some things in just for him and he just really excelled."

Walker put up some decent numbers in the preseason last year and showed some signs of life in the regular season.  As with the rest of the offense, it's hard to predict what the Mike Martz offense will mean for Walker's production.  He had 21 receptions for 174 yards last season.  The preseason will likely not be much of an indicator since I'd imagine the team will hold back on rolling out the entire offense.  Any predictions on walker's season?

Michael Robinson
Robinson has always been intriguing because of the switch he's made from quarterback to running back, and the fact that the 49ers took him in the 4th round to make this transition.  Although he hasn't blown people away as a running back, he showed some progress last year, boosting his rushing average from 3.1 to 4.7 yards per carry.  It was based on only 26 carries, so we'll see if SSSS (small sample size syndrome) comes into play.  The addition of DeShaun Foster makes for an interesting situation for Robinson.  While Robinson might not do much as a running back this coming season (or even long term for all we know), he has shown some ability on special teams. 

One thing I do like about him is the fact that he, along with Arnaz Battle, can be utilized in some creative situations because of their quarterback experience.  Martz enjoys some trickery in his offense and this could be his best opportunity.  Throw in the fact that Alex Smith is quite athletic (you don't run Urban Meyer's spread option offense without being an athlete) and we could see some overall zaniness on the field in 2008.

The one thing to keep in mind with these two extensions is that they're low risk, high reward situations.  If there comes a time when there is clearly no room for one or both of them in the future, cutting them will not even remotely cripple the team financially.  Although the press coverage goes to Justin Smith and Nate Clements type signings, these smaller deals can often turn out just as important.