Who will Smith throw to?

Matt Maiocco's recent post on how the new 49ers are looking is worth a read.

Maiocco writes that Ashley Lelie has run a handful of routes this summer, and has hurt his quad on two of them. He entered the offseason as the favorite to start at split end. While most of Fantasy Nation despises Lelie, we thought the man with a career 17.5 yard-per-catch average could eke out some sneaky late-round value in San Francisco.

Now we're not so sure. If Lelie can't get healthy, the 49ers are thinking about putting Arnaz Battle as the starting flanker and moving Darrell Jackson to split end. Jackson also hasn't been able to practice all summer and switching positions could further damage his value. Battle is a hard-nosed player, a solid pro, but he probably maxed out his fantasy upside last year with 686 yards and three touchdowns. Nothing worth getting excited about.

I've downgraded Lelie because of the news to 36 catches, 610 yards, and two touchdowns, which leaves him ranked as the WR69. He could get a bump if he looks strong in camp, but he's currently a sixth-receiver type if you play in a deep league. I gave Battle some of Lelie's production, but that only moved him up to WR80. Lelie should still make more big plays.

Ultimately, it looks like Battle, Lelie, and fourth receiver rookie Jason Hill will cancel each other out. The number one wideout, Darrell Jackson, is a mystery. The 49ers are riding a wave of good publicity as a team, but their receiver group still could border on irrelevance in fantasy leagues.