It came as a shocker when San Francisco was able to pull off
a trade with Baltimore so quickly after the Super Bowl, but at the end of the
day Anquan Boldin is now a 49er. With San Francisco already having a good
amount of talent on offense, just how will Boldin fit into their team and
impact fantasy football leagues?
For starters, Boldin and the Ravens appeared to have a strained relationship towards the end of the season. Obviously winning a Super Bowl can ease some pains, but Boldin had no intention of restructuring a deal. When that became a reality, the Ravens looked to get at least some value out of him.
San Francisco continues to try to add athleticism around
quarterback Colin Kaepernick, so Boldin should fit in nicely. One of his
strongest attributes is that he is not afraid to go across the middle or play a
physical style of football.
Moving to the NFC West might take a slight adjustment, but
Boldin is a veteran who spent a good amount of time with the Arizona Cardinals.
It will likely come down to either Boldin or Michael Crabtree for that #1
receiver spot on the 49ers. Regardless as to who secures that label, both should
get the ball quite a bit during the game.
Perhaps the biggest hurdle for any receiver on the 49ers is
that they play in a tough division with solid secondaries. Guys like Richard
Sherman, Cortland Finnegan and Patrick Peterson are all capable of shutting
down some of the best in the game, so Boldin will have to work for everything
he gets out there. Fortunately for fantasy owners, even if Boldin is unable to
get a ton of touches in a game, he will be a constant threat in the red zone.
The threat of scoring a touchdown any time they are close makes him an
interesting option.
Right now, Boldin appears to be a low risk, high reward type of wide receiver. He is projected to go anywhere from #35 to #45 among wide receivers in leagues, making him a fringe starter in most cases. He could end up being a steal though, because the 49ers are a talented team that needs a player of his skill set. If he can find the end zone a few times early, he will be a hot commodity.
