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Much has been made of Michael Crabtree and his failure to sign in a timely fashion with the San Francisco 49ers . Some believe he delayed his signing because other teams (like the Jets ) were under suspicion of tampering with the young receiver.
Others questioned if this young man had the desire to play at the NFL level.
At the end of the day Crabtree finally signed in October and started in his first game against the Houston Texans .
Impressive First Game
By the end of Crabtree's first start in the NFL, I was more impressed that he could play the entire game than his stats. Crabtree started the game and played nearly every snap throughout the contest.
Crabtree hasn't played a football game for almost a year and remember he missed a good amount of time with the foot injury this spring and summer. Not to mention that he didn't practice with the team during OTA's, preseason or the first month of the regular season.
For the game, Crabtree had five receptions for 59 yards and flashed his strong hands and route running skills.
After the game 49ers head coach Mike Singletary told Crabtree that all his hard work and study that he put in when he was away from the team, showed on the football field.
This was clearly not the performance of a young player that, "didn't care" about the game.
Let's See it Again
Now, what fantasy football owners want to see from Crabtree is another good performance against the Indianapolis Colts this Sunday.
Once this young receiver takes the next step and starts becoming the true go-to receiver in the offense, he will be a strong fantasy worthy option.
At this point in time, he is worth a waiver wire pickup, but I wouldn't recommend starting him until he shows more.
From his performance against the Texans, one has to believe that this up to tick in production will come by year's end.
The Future Looks Bright
It looks like the 49ers have themselves a super start talent, and they must feel good about holding their ground throughout the negotiations.
As long as Crabtree doesn't turn into a Terrell Owens type of prima donna on the field than they should have a solid player for years to come.
NFL Fantasy Football Player Rankings writer Sean E. Douglas: fantasy-info.com
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