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Spotlight - WR Arnaz Battle, San Francisco 49ers

Posted on 8/7, exclusive to Footballguys.com

Chris Smith's Thoughts

The 49ers brought in veteran WR Darrell Jackson to be one of the starting receivers this season.  Who will win the WR2 slot on the team, Arnaz Battle or Ashley Lelie?  I'll take a look at both players here and tell you which player is going to win the job.

Career highs and lows

Ashley Lelie

• Entering his sixth season and now on his third team
• Had 1,084 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns in 2004 (finished as the 23rd best fantasy receiver this season)
• Has caught just six touchdowns combined in other four seasons
• Has just one top-forty finish
• Has caught just three touchdowns in prior 36 games

Arnaz Battle

• Entering his fifth season (all with 49ers)
• Has improved in each of his four seasons:
  • 2003: 0 receptions
  • 2004: 8 receptions for 143 yards
  • 2005: 32 receptions for 363 yards and 3 touchdowns
  • 2006: 59 receptions for 686 yards and 3 touchdowns
• Entering his fifth season (all with 49ers)
• Has yet to enjoy a 100-yard receiving game (finished with 97 yards against Seahawks last season)
• Caught at least one pass in every game last season

Why Battle will emerge as the starting receiver

Arnaz Battle will be the WR2 for the 49ers this season.  The reason he will be lining up with the starting unit however isn't because he has a big advantage over Ashley Lelie and the other San Francisco receivers when it comes to receiving skills but rather his exceptional run blocking ability.

This blurb is from our news blotter on August 1st

August 1, 2007, 10:25
49ers :: WR

49ers WR Battle A Good Run Blocker
Matthew Barrows, Sacramento Bee - [Full Article]

According to San Francisco 49ers HC Mike Nolan, the best run-blocking receiver in the league is Hines Ward of the Pittsburgh Steelers. "If Hines was a 10, I'd say Arnaz Battle was about an 8. I think he's pretty....good," Nolan said. "They're both tough guys -- tough, competitive. They play the game like it should be played." One of the reasons Battle has remained at the flanker position while celebrated offseason acquisition Darrell Jackson, who played flanker for the Seattle Seahawks last season, has been moved to split end, is Battle's blocking ability.

There are many receivers who can get out on the field and catch the ball.  However it is not as common to have a receiver who loves to get after defenders when run blocking and Battle has that aggressive streak that coaches love to see.

Lelie simply isn't in the same ballpark as Battle when it comes to blocking ability.  If his receiving skills were much better than Battle's he would ultimately have a good chance at winning the starting job but Lelie has had one good season when everything clicked and the rest of his time in the NFL has involved poor hands, lapses of concentration and mediocre route running.  I will go so far as to say at this point there appears to be a very real chance that Redskins castoff Taylor Jacobs will beat out Lelie and see the field as the third receiving option.  Lelie has been injured throughout the offseason and just got on the 49ers practice field recently.  He hasn't made a good impression and he'll have to be incredible during preseason to land a real opportunity.

OK, so Battle is the man.  What does that mean in terms of fantasy production?

The answer to that question is that the WR2 position with the 49ers probably won't result in good fantasy numbers.

• The 49ers are a running football team:  Frank Gore will carry this team on his back as long as he can and the club hopes to win with a strong rushing attack combined with an improving defensive performance.
• The second receiver in this offense will often be the fourth player targeted by quarterback Alex Smith.  Starting receiver Darrell Jackson, tight end Vernon Davis and running back Frank Gore will likely finish with a large percentage of the completed passes, which doesn't leave much for the rest of the offensive players, including Battle and Lelie.
• 3rd-year quarterback Alex Smith has only tossed 17 touchdowns in his 25 games played.  He continues to grow as a player but he still has more work to do to reach the next level.

Positives

• Great run blocking ability
• Good route-running
• Has improved his statistics in each of his first four seasons

Negatives

• Doesn't have elite receiver skills (speed, quickness, ability to make defenders miss)
• Not enough passes to go around with Jackson, Gore and Davis on field
• Has only six career touchdowns
• Last season was his best fantasy season so far at only 45th amongst receivers

Final Thoughts

I believe it is pretty clear that Arnaz Battle has left Ashley Lelie far behind and Battle will line up as the starting receiver. He is a decent receiver but it is his exceptional blocking ability that the team is excited about and he'll have a strong impact on the 49ers rushing attack. At this point of the preseason it appears that Lelie may even have a difficult time surpassing Bryan Gilmore, Taylor Jacobs and rookie Jason Hill in the pecking order and I wouldn't be surprised at all if Lelie becomes a non-factor this season. Neither player will have exceptional fantasy value but Battle will get the playing time.

Quotations from the Message Board Thread

rzrback77:
San Francisco's WRs had major changes following the 06 season. Antonio Bryant was excused and Darrell Jackson and Ashley Lelie have arrived. DJax brings a lot of optimism with his recent performancs, but a touch of pessimism with his injury issues. DJax has performed well recently, except wheh he was hurt, finishing 9th, 14th, 63rd, and 13th last year even as he missed three games. If healthy, he will be the obvious WR #1 and with Gore a nice receiver out of the backfield and V Davis in his second year at TE, whoever is next will not be that productive. The opportunity for Battle, Lelie, Gilmore, or rookie Jason Hill will only come with injuries to one or more of the top three. And if its Gore, then all bets are off as the 49ers will lose their offensive balance.

Among these two I much prefer Battle, who is in his 5th season in Frisco and comes off his best season with 87 targets 59 catches, 686 yds and 3 TDs. I think his familiarity in the system and with Alex Smith trumps Lelie's speed which is all he has. Lelie has a career reception percentage of 50.4% and had 47.7% in 05 and a dismal 41.2% last year in Atlanta. I give Gilmore and the rookie Hill a better chance at production than Lelie.

shadyridr:
I like Battle as an NFL WR but he isn't worth much as a fantasy WR. He will come up with a bunch of big 3rd down receptions and will have 1 big 2 TD game but otherwise I don't see him being roster worthy. Lelie has the potential to bust out but I just don't see it. Hes always dinged, runs bad routes, drops everything, and doesn't seem to work hard enough. Basically he thinks hes better than he is. I don't think hes draftworthy either. If Jackson gets hurt (which many expect) then I think Battle becomes more valuable as Lelie is nothing but a deep threat.

Arnaz Battle Projections