San Francisco 49ers rookie running back Isaac Guerendo took over for Jordan Mason (shoulder) and performed well in a 30-24 Week 8 home victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night. After Mason left in the first half, Guerendo took almost all of the backfield carries, finishing with 14 carries for 85 yards and a touchdown. The performance solidified Guerendo as a viable fantasy starter when given the chance. In two games this year with Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) and Mason out, Guerendo has taken 24 carries for 184 yards and a touchdown with minimal backfield competition from the fourth-string Patrick Taylor Jr. However, Guerendo's fantasy value as a handcuff is likely to crash on the other side of a Week 9 bye as both Mason and McCaffrey could return for a Week 10 trip to Tampa Bay. For as good as Guerendo has looked, San Francisco's rushing game has strictly supported one running back in fantasy dating back to 2023.
San Francisco 49ers rookie running back Isaac Guerendo will return to a backup role when the team hosts the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. Last week during a win in Seattle, when starter Jordan Mason (shoulder) left the game during the second quarter, Guerendo filled in nicely with 10 carries for 99 yards, including a 76-yard run to put the game away for San Francisco. However, with Mason off the injury report after logging a full practice on Friday, Guerendo will probably be relegated to the one-to-five carries that he's logged this season when Mason has been healthy. The 6-foot, 221-pound fourth-rounder is a worthwhile stash while Christian McCaffrey (Achilles/calf) is out in case Mason gets hurt again, but he is not a viable starter in Week 7.
San Francisco 49ers rookie running back Isaac Guerendo filled in nicely for starter Jordan Mason (shoulder) in a Week 6 36-24 victory versus the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mason left the game with an apparent shoulder injury in the second quarter and came back in for one carry just after the half, never to return. Guerendo did most of the replacement work, finishing with 10 carries for 99 yards. He was not targeted in the passing game. Though Guerendo looked competent overall, it's worth noting that the bulk of his yardage came on a fourth-quarter 76-yard run that salted the game away for San Francisco. He may have scored on the play but appeared to pull up at the last second to allow the 49ers to work more clock. Guerendo will be a top waiver target heading into Week 7 against Kansas City if Mason is sidelined, but it's worth noting that fourth-year back Patrick Taylor Jr. was involved as well, with five carries and a target of his own in Mason's absence.
San Francisco 49ers rookie running back Isaac Guerendo will look to build on a modest increase in usage in Week 4 when the team hosts the New England Patriots. Last week against the Rams in Los Angeles, Guerendo took five carries for 19 yards and zero passing targets. The fourth-round pick saw his offensive snap count grow to 10 after combining for four total in his first two games. It's very unlikely that Guerendo will become usable for fantasy players in mainstream leagues without an injury to Mason, given head coach Kyle Shanahan's tendency to use his main back as a bell cow. In Week 4 Guerendo should remain on fantasy benches. However, he represents nearly as good an injury stash as any in the league, so managers who can afford to hold, should.
San Francisco 49ers rookie running back Isaac Guerendo saw the first meaningful playing time of his career in a 27-24 loss to the Rams in Los Angeles on Sunday. The fourth-round pick out of Louisville entered with one carry for no gain through two games but took the ball five times for 19 yards in Week 3. It's conceivable that Guerendo's involvement could increase further in the next few weeks but it's very unlikely that he'll become startable in fantasy as long as Jordan Mason is healthy while filling in for Christian McCaffrey (Achilles). Head coach Kyle Shanahan has seemed to prefer a backfield bell cow situation throughout his tenure in San Francisco so Guerendo is a worthy stash in redraft formats as the next man up while McCaffrey is out in case of a Mason injury, but nothing more. Guerendo and the 49ers get the New England Patriots at home in Week 4.
San Francisco 49ers running back Isaac Guerendo will handle kickoff returns in place of injured wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. (calf) in Week 3, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic. Barrows notes that the majority of kickoffs in 2024 have resulted in touchbacks, but if the Rams attempt any kicks that are returnable, Guerendo will handle that duty. The 24-year-old rookie has seen minimal opportunities on offense this year, rushing just once while handling one percent of offensive snaps in Week 2. He's off the fantasy radar.
San Francisco 49ers running back Isaac Guerendo (groin) will suit up for Monday's game against the New York Jets. The rookie back missed over a week of practice due to a groin issue, but was able to get in a few limited practice sessions. Guerendo practiced in full on Saturday and has no injury designation ahead of Week 1. Lead back Christian McCaffrey (calf, Achilles) is listed as questionable ahead of Monday's game. Guerendo would likely see a significant workload if McCaffrey sits out which seems unlikely. That being said, Guerendo could see a few touches as the third string back. He looks more like a stash for fantasy managers in dynasty or deep leagues.
Elijah Mitchell, Isaac Guerendo Return To Practice
San Francisco 49ers running backs Elijah Mitchell (hamstring), Isaac Guerendo (hamstring) and Patrick Taylor Jr. (undisclosed) have all returned to training camp practices in the last two days. The only Niners running back out of practice still is starter Christian McCaffrey (calf), but he's been doing heavy work on the side. Mitchell will now try to hold off Jordan Mason for the RB2 role in San Fran. Although McCaffrey will end up missing the entire preseason, the 49ers aren't worried that he'll miss the start of the regular season. The 26-year-old former sixth-rounder in 2021 out of Louisiana would become a weekly fantasy option if CMC were to miss extended time, but Mitchell has battled injury issues of his own in his three years in the NFL and has played in a total of 27 games (12 starts) since entering the league. Guerendo is behind in his development heading into his rookie year, but he, too, could be a threat to Mitchell's spot on the depth chart eventually in 2024.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Sunday night that he's "hoping" that rookie running back Isaac Guerendo (hamstring) will return to training camp practice this week and get some snaps in Friday's preseason finale against the Las Vegas Raiders on the road. Guerendo could easily be looking at a redshirt rookie season in the NFL after initially injuring his hamstring at the start of training camp on July 24. The 24-year-old fourth-rounder has missed three-plus weeks of valuable reps in camp, including both of the team's preseason games to this point. Saying San Fran's backfield has been beat up this summer would be an understatement, as Christian McCaffrey (calf), Elijah Mitchell (hamstring) and Jordan Mason (hip) also have injury designations. When healthy, the speedy Guerendo figures to be the Niners' RB3, but he's behind the eight ball developmentally already and can be avoided in standard 12-team fantasy drafts.
San Francisco 49ers running back Isaac Guerendo (hamstring) is dealing with a significant hamstring strain and will be out for a few weeks, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan. It's a tough development for the fourth-round rookie from Louisville, who will miss valuable reps as he looks to compete for the RB2 job behind Christian McCaffrey. Guerendo was widely unknown heading into the pre-draft process, but his 4.33 40-yard dash time at the NFL Combine raised eyebrows and got him selected at the start of Day 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft. While his injury could slow down his development and chances to make an impact early in his career, he remains an intriguing late-round flier in deep fantasy football leagues.
Isaac Guerendo
• RB
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49ers
