San Francisco 49ers News

NFC WEST

George Kittle • TE • 49ers

George Kittle Ahead of Schedule, Legitimate Chance to Play Week 1

According to ESPN Senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (Achilles) visited Los Angeles on Wednesday with renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who performed the surgery on his torn Achilles in January. It was an encouraging visit, with Kittle's recovery ahead of schedule and giving him a legitimate chance to play in the regular-season opener in Australia against the Los Angeles Rams. Kittle injured his Achilles in January during the second quarter of the 49ers' NFC Wild Card game. While he is now 32 years old, it's a very encouraging sign for a 49ers offense that is dealing with injuries to wide receivers Mike Evans (quad) and has already lost Ricky Pearsall (knee) for the season. Kittle played in 11 games last season and was extremely efficient, hauling in 57 of his 69 targets for 628 yards and seven touchdowns with an 11.02 yards per reception. RotoBaller currently ranks Kittle as the TE9 for upcoming drafts; however, if he is cleared to play Week 1, that will surely go up. He has finished in the top five at the position in six of the last eight seasons, and in the two seasons he didn't, he played in no more than 11 games.

8 hours ago

Brock Purdy • QB • 49ers

Brock Purdy to Use Mobility More in 2026

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is prepared to use his mobility more this season, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Purdy told Fowler, "I'm never going to be a 4.4 guy, 4.5 guy. The thing I pride myself on is moving quickly, moving the chains when I need 10, 12 yards. I think I can add that for our offense, for sure." Purdy has averaged 12.8 rushing yards per game in his career and has scored 11 touchdowns in 45 starts. The former seventh-round pick dealt with a toe injury that cost him seven games last season, likely hindering his rushing ability in 2025. Currently ranked QB11 in RotoBaller's positional rankings, Purdy offers QB1 upside with a high floor in Kyle Shanahan's offense.

10 hours ago

Deebo Samuel Sr. • WR • 49ers

Deebo Samuel Sr. Set for Multi-Purpose Workload in San Francisco

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. will "have a varied role at receiver, running back, and kick returner" in the upcoming season, according to ESPN's Nick Wagoner. Samuel Sr. spent the first six years of his NFL career with the 49ers before being traded to the Washington Commanders ahead of the 2025 season. Across 81 career games with San Francisco, Samuel Sr. collected 1,143 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns to go along with nearly 4,800 receiving yards and 22 touchdown grabs. While the 30-year-old is no longer the same level of athlete he was earlier in his career, Samuel Sr.'s dual-threat ability provides an added element of value for fantasy managers. He's also expected to play a significant role in the 49ers' offense with San Francisco wideout Ricky Pearsall (knee) set to miss the entire season after undergoing knee surgery.

13 hours ago

Kaelon Black • RB • 49ers

Kaelon Black Looks Powerful in Return to Practice

San Francisco 49ers rookie running back Kaelon Black "looked powerful" in his return during Tuesday's joint practice against the Los Angeles Chargers, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic. Black missed the previous two weeks of camp with an inner-thigh injury, but he was the team's top runner on Tuesday with Christian McCaffrey still sitting due to undisclosed tightness. Black, a third-rounder, did not look rusty at all, taking an early carry for 50 yards while showing violence and strength on several runs. He also had a catch at the goal line during a red-zone drill. "I thought he looked good hitting the hole and running hard," quarterback Brock Purdy said. The Niners cut RB Khalil Herbert on Monday, and Jordan James (rib) and Isaac Guerendo (pectoral) are injured. Going into camp, James was the favorite for RB2 duties behind the oft-injured McCaffrey, but if Black continues to impress and James continues to sit out with his injury, it could be Black winning the RB2 role going into Week 1 in Australia against the division-rival Los Angeles Rams.

Yesterday

Nick Bosa • DL • 49ers

Nick Bosa Making Progress from Knee Tendinitis

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that edge rusher Nick Bosa (knee tendinitis) is doing better, with his symptoms improving. Bosa missed the past week due to knee tendinitis related to his ACL tear, which he suffered early last season. Shanahan said on Tuesday, "He's making a lot of progress. He's got a lot less irritation, soreness, tendinitis, whatever you want to call it, than he had last week. He's going in the right direction, and I see him similar to Christian [McCaffrey]." The 49ers reportedly struggled during their joint practice against the Los Angeles Chargers, getting beat consistently on edge sets and play-action passes. If Bosa can't return before they travel to Melbourne to face the Los Angeles Rams, they'll face a difficult challenge because of the Rams' outside zone runs and their effective use of play-action passes.

2 days ago

Christian McCaffrey • RB • 49ers

Christian McCaffrey Could Have Practiced Tuesday

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey remains out with tightness, but head coach Kyle Shanahan gave a positive update Tuesday. Shanahan said McCaffrey is coming along well and would have participated if the 49ers had held a normal practice instead of a joint session with the Los Angeles Chargers. He also pushed back on speculation that McCaffrey's absence has anything to do with his contract, saying that would be wrong. San Francisco has been careful with McCaffrey rather than having him push through the tightness during August. That's understandable after he handled a franchise-record 413 touches last season, rushing for 1,202 yards and 10 touchdowns while adding 102 catches for 924 yards and seven more scores. Tuesday's update is probably the clearest sign yet that McCaffrey is getting close to returning to regular practice work.

2 days ago

Brock Purdy • QB • 49ers

Brock Purdy has a "Good Chance" to Play on Thursday Night

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that he expects "a number of starters" to play in the preseason game on Thursday night against the Los Angeles Chargers and said there is a "good chance" that will include quarterback Brock Purdy, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN. If Purdy suits up to play on Thursday night, he likely will not play more than a couple of offensive series. The 26-year-old former seventh-rounder in 2022 from Iowa State is an obvious bounce-back candidate heading into his fifth NFL season after he appeared in just nine games for the Niners last year due to a turf-toe injury. Still, there are question marks with Purdy's receiving corps due to durability concerns, with veterans Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel Sr., and Christian Kirk, and Ricky Pearsall (knee) is already out for the season. Tight end George Kittle is returning from an Achilles tear from the postseason. At the very least, Purdy has running back Christian McCaffrey to dump the ball off to, and he should be considered a low-end QB1/high-end QB2 in fantasy football drafts in Shanahan's offense.

2 days ago

Kaelon Black • RB • 49ers

Kaelon Black Returns to Practice After Adductor Injury

San Francisco 49ers running back Kaelon Black (adductor) returned to practice Tuesday for the first time since the opening week of training camp. The rookie had been sidelined since hurting his adductor during the Aug. 1 practice, wiping out more than two weeks of valuable work. Black was getting a decent amount of run before the injury, including a heavy share of the carries during San Francisco's first padded session. The 49ers used the 90th overall pick on him in April after he rushed for 1,040 yards and 10 touchdowns on 186 carries at Indiana last season. At 5-foot-9 and 208 pounds, he gives San Francisco another option behind Christian McCaffrey as the team sorts through a banged-up backfield. Black has ground to make up after the long layoff, but getting back into practice now gives him time to push for a role before the regular season. UPDATE: Black looked good in his return to practice, according to Sports Illustrated's Grant Cohn.

2 days ago

Mike Evans • WR • 49ers

Mike Evans Dealing With Left Foot/Ankle Tightness

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans (foot/ankle) had his left foot and ankle wrapped and iced during Tuesday's joint practice with the Los Angeles Chargers. Evans appeared to be finished for the day after receiving treatment on the sideline, but head coach Kyle Shanahan later said the veteran was only experiencing some tightness and that he does not believe the issue is serious. That's encouraging after Evans only recently returned from a quadriceps strain suffered Aug. 1. He didn't get back into 11-on-11 work until Saturday, making it a quick turnaround between injury concerns. Evans signed a three-year deal with San Francisco in March after spending his first 12 seasons with Tampa Bay. He was limited to eight games last year, catching 30 passes for 368 yards and three touchdowns. Tuesday's early exit is still worth noting, but Shanahan's update takes some of the concern out of the situation.

2 days ago

Christian McCaffrey • RB • 49ers

Christian McCaffrey is Actually Dealing with Tightness, Not a Hold-In

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (undisclosed) is actually dealing with tightness despite speculation that he was sitting out due to contractual reasons, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. There had been plenty of recent speculation on social media that McCaffrey was holding in, but Rapoport confirmed that he is actually experiencing tightness, as the 49ers previously announced. The exact specifics of his injury are unknown, though, and it's too early to tell whether he'll play in the 49ers' season opener against the Los Angeles Rams. The good news, though, is that it's not believed to be much of a concern. McCaffrey is no stranger to injury concerns, but he was able to stay healthy for a full slate of 17 games last season. In doing so, he tallied 413 touches, 2,126 scrimmage yards, and 17 touchdowns en route to ranking as the RB1 in PPR leagues. Even at 30 years old, he remains capable of leading his position group in fantasy points if he can stay healthy for a full season. Fantasy managers will want to monitor McCaffrey's status and seek out additional updates as Week 1 gets closer.

3 days ago

George Kittle • TE • 49ers

George Kittle Says He's "Pretty Close" in Achilles Rehab

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (Achilles) gave another positive update on his recovery Sunday. While doing his on-field rehab, Kittle told Matt Barrows that he's "hitting numbers I need to hit" and is "pretty close." Kittle remains on the active/PUP list and hasn't returned to team practice yet after tearing his right Achilles during San Francisco's Wild Card win over the Philadelphia Eagles in January. He has been working off to the side throughout camp as he continues to build toward football activity. Kittle has made Week 1 his goal, although coming back that quickly from a January Achilles tear would be an aggressive timeline. The 32-year-old was still productive when healthy last season, catching 57 passes for 628 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 games. There is still another step to take before Kittle is practicing with his teammates, but his latest comments suggest the rehab continues to move in the right direction.

4 days ago

Christian McCaffrey • RB • 49ers

Christian McCaffrey Still Not Practicing, Injury Concerns Continue to Rise

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (undisclosed) will remain out of practice Sunday, according to Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group. McCaffrey hasn't practiced since August 10 while dealing with what the team has called tightness. San Francisco has downplayed it. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said last week that his concern would be McCaffrey trying to push through the tightness and turning it into something worse. Still, nearly a week off the field is hard to completely shrug off with McCaffrey. He handled a career-high 413 touches in 2025, rushing for 1,202 yards and 10 touchdowns while adding 102 catches for 924 yards and seven more scores. The recent injury history is part of the concern, too. McCaffrey missed 13 games in 2024 because of Achilles tendinitis and a later PCL injury. There is still nothing coming out of San Francisco suggesting this is a serious injury, but fantasy managers will want to see McCaffrey back on the practice field soon.

4 days ago

De'Zhaun Stribling • WR • 49ers

De'Zhaun Stribling Gets "Vet WR Treatment" at Practice

San Francisco 49ers rookie wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling continues to get encouraging signs about where he stands with the team. During Sunday's special teams period, David Lombardi noted that Stribling worked individually with offensive assistant/wide receivers coach Andrew Hayes-Stoker instead, the same setup veteran Mike Evans received. Lombardi described it as the "vet WR treatment." It comes just a few days after Stribling caught seven passes for 63 yards in his preseason debut against Tennessee. The 49ers had seen enough by midway through the second quarter, pulling the No. 33 overall pick from the game with nearly eight minutes left in the half. Stribling has also been making plays in camp since returning from some early hamstring tightness. Sunday doesn't guarantee where he'll land in the receiver rotation, but San Francisco continuing to prioritize his offensive work is another positive development for the rookie.

4 days ago

Zamir White • RB • 49ers

Zamir White Gets Plenty of Work in First Practice with 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers signed veteran running back Zamir White on Wednesday, and in his first practice with the team on Saturday, he saw plenty of involvement, according to team reporter Brooke Evans. With Christian McCaffrey (soreness), Jordan James (ribs), and Kaelon Black (adductor) all missing practice, White is already a necessary presence, and he received a heavy workload throughout the team's competitive sessions. While the former Raider faces an uphill climb to earn a roster spot this late into camp, he could see work in San Francisco's next preseason game on Thursday, and he provides critical backfield depth for a team already stretched thin by injuries.

4 days ago

Christian McCaffrey • RB • 49ers

Christian McCaffrey Sits Out Another Practice

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (undisclosed) missed Saturday's practice due to "tightness," according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. So far, we don't have much info on McCaffrey's injury. We know that it sidelined him for several practices and the 49ers' preseason opener, but we can't read too much into those absences since the 49ers have been lightening many of their starters' workloads anyway. With that being said, fantasy managers would be justified if they take the injury into consideration when drafting this year. In the event that he does have a clean bill of health, though, McCaffrey is worth drafting as an early-to-mid first-round pick. He was the overall RB1 in PPR leagues with 2,126 scrimmage yards and 17 touchdowns last year, and he ranks as the overall RB3 in RotoBaller's latest 2026 fantasy football draft rankings.

5 days ago

Mike Evans • WR • 49ers

Mike Evans Returns to Team Drills

San Francisco Chronicle's Noah Furtado reports that San Francisco wideout Mike Evans (quad) returned to team 11-on-11 drills and caught a rope from Brock Purdy. Evans suffered a quadriceps strain early in training camp that has forced him to miss practices and the 49ers' preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans on Thursday. The 49ers have dealt with various injuries up to this point that have caused multiple receivers to miss some time in training camp. Evans is projected to be the WR1 in the offense and will be the No. 1 option in the red zone through the air. With Evans returning to team drills, he is on track to be available for Week 1. Evans is being drafted as a fringe WR2 and carries immense touchdown upside for 2026.

5 days ago

Christian Kirk • WR • 49ers

Christian Kirk Rested During Preseason Opener

San Francisco 49ers veteran wide receiver Christian Kirk (calf) did not play in the team's preseason opener on Thursday night against the Tennessee Titans, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN. Veteran Mike Evans (quadriceps) was also held out as a precaution. Both Kirk and Evans have missed practice recently in training camp with what are considered minor injuries, but they may both be cleared to play in the second preseason tilt next Thursday, Aug. 20, against the Los Angeles Chargers on the road. The 29-year-old was brought in this offseason to bolster San Fran's receiving corps out of the slot. Ricky Pearsall (knee) has already been knocked out for the entire 2026 campaign, but the team's recent addition of Deebo Samuel Sr. has been bad news for Kirk's potential upside in his first year in the Bay Area. Kirk had only 28 catches on 52 targets for 239 yards and one touchdown in 13 regular-season games for the Houston Texans a year ago, and he continues to be hampered by injuries. Fantasy managers in 12-team leagues will be ignoring Kirk on draft day.

6 days ago

Brandon Aiyuk • WR • 49ers

49ers Remove Brandon Aiyuk's Locker Stall

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk's locker stall has been removed from the team's locker room, according to David Lombardi. His stall had remained there even after Aiyuk left the squad late last season, but it is no longer in place. Aiyuk remains under contract with San Francisco and is still on the Reserve/Left Squad list, so nothing has officially changed with his status. The disappearing locker is another sign of a relationship that has been headed toward a split for months. The 49ers voided Aiyuk's guaranteed money for 2026 last year, and general manager John Lynch said in January that it was safe to say the 28-year-old had played his final snap for the team. Aiyuk hasn't appeared in a game since suffering a serious right knee injury in October 2024 and missed all of last season. Until his status is resolved, there remains little reason to expect him back on the field for San Francisco.

6 days ago

Kaelon Black • RB • 49ers

Kaelon Black Still Dealing With Thigh Injury, Sits Out Preseason Opener

San Francisco 49ers rookie third-round running back Kaelon Black (thigh) missed out on a big opportunity to cement himself as a depth option in the team's backfield behind Christian McCaffrey going into his first year in the NFL and was held out of the preseason opener on Thursday night against the Tennessee Titans, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN. The good news is that Black's primary competition, Jordan James (ribs), was also held out. The 24-year-old Black has a big believer in head coach Kyle Shanahan, but that doesn't necessarily mean that he'll beat out James in 2026 to become the primary change-of-pace option behind the oft-injured CMC. The 5-foot-9, 211-pounder didn't have amazing production in college at James Madison and Indiana, and he's old for a rookie. Going into the 2026 season, Black will be a handcuff option to McCaffrey, at best, in deeper leagues if he's able to beat out James.

6 days ago

Patrick Taylor Jr. • RB • 49ers

Patrick Taylor Jr. Scores 49ers' Only Touchdown In Loss

San Francisco 49ers running back Patrick Taylor Jr. had an unimpressive showing in Thursday's 19-13 preseason loss to the Titans but came out of it with a touchdown. Taylor was targeted twice in the game and had two receptions for 13 yards but finished with negative yardage on the ground, handling five carries and netting -5 rushing yards. Taylor's longest run of the game was the one-yard plunge into the end zone for the 49ers' only touchdown. With Christian McCaffrey (soreness) the undisputed RB1, the rest of San Francisco's running backs derive their fantasy value from their handcuff potential. Despite his touchdown against Tennessee, Taylor does not appear to be a challenger for that role. His next chance to show what he can do will come against the Chargers on August 20.

7 days ago

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