The NFL's current lockout has stunted the introduction of the league's newest players. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is no different. He's not allowed to communicate with any of his coaches, including head coach John Harbaugh, until the lockout is lifted. So, in an effort to become the 49ers' next starting quarterback, Kaepernick has enlisted the help of Harbaugh's previous starting quarterback. Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck and Kaepernick became friends prior to the 2010 college season and will be just a 15-minute drive apart when Kaepernick moves to Santa Clara, Calif. And Kaepernick told the Sacramento Bee he will use Luck, who was coached by Harbaugh for the past three seasons at Stanford, to learn the 49ers' new offense. "I'm going to try and pick his brain as much as I can and try to get a jump-start into this offense, and pick up as much as I can from him," Kaepernick said of Luck.

Fantasy Analysis:

Kaepernick has also been in contact with a handful of his current teammates, not just a current college quarterback; this is just a unique story caused by this awful lockout. But it also emphasizes Luck's smarts and is probably giving him a couple of extra points in the eyes of head coaches who will be looking at him with the No. 1 pick in next year's draft. Luck can certainly help Kaepernick get used to the offense's language and other nuances. Kaepernick has a chance to start for the 49ers this year, but that will largely depend on how quickly he makes the transition to a pro-style offense from the pistol formation he played in while at Nevada. He's not lacking the physical tools to be a solid QB. I think Alex Smith will win the job in August, but Kaepernick could be on fantasy radars in re-draft leagues as soon as the second half of the 2011 season. Right now, he's worth nothing more than a flyer late in long drafts.