Fantasy Slant: Torrey Smith to Sign with San Francisco 49ers

By Matt Johnson on Thursday, March 12th 2015
Fantasy Slant: Torrey Smith to Sign with San Francisco 49ers

It's been a rocky start to the offseason for the San Francisco 49ers and the worst of it may not even be Jim Harbaugh leaving for the University of Michigan. Losing one of the best coaches in football is one thing, but the chaos and problems only grew with the retirements of Patrick Willis, Justin Smith and Frank Gore heading to Indianapolis.

For all the craziness and negative press that have surrounded the 49ers, they deserve credit for bringing in Torrey Smith. Colin Kaepernick needed a true deep threat and San Francisco finally landed him one on a five-year, $40 million deal.

Smith's four-year run with the Baltimore Ravens was a bit of a roller coaster. In 2013, he set a career-high with 65 receptions for 1,128 yards, but a career-low four touchdowns that season. In 2014, Smith set a career-high with 11 touchdowns, but set a career-low in receiving yards (767), yards per catch (15.7) and tied a career-low in receptions (49). Now Smith gets a change of scenery, a new quarterback and a familiar friend.

In San Francisco, Smith will once again be paired up with Anquan Boldin. The duo worked well together in 2011 and 2012 in Baltimore, Boldin serving as the possession receiver underneath and Smith testing secondaries deep down the field. It will be the same situation in the bay, but the 49ers will have Vernon Davis working the middle of the field as well.

Kaepernick tied for seventh in the NFL last season with 69 pass attempts of 20-plus yards, it makes sense given his otherworldly arm strength and velocity. But San Francisco didn't have a vertical threat and San Francisco's offensive line was banged up much of the year, resulting in a less than desirable 33.3 completion percentage, per Pro Football Focus. That will change this season as you couldn't find much better of a fit than Kaepernick-Smith. 

This is great news for Smith and while he may not reach the 11 touchdowns we saw this past season, he is in great position to surpass 60-receptions and 1,000 yards if everyone stays healthy. If Smith can pull that off, he only needs five touchdowns to finish the season as a top-25 fantasy wide receiver. 

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