Top 49ers WR and future Hall of Famer Mike Evans will miss Week 7’s Monday Night Football game due to his Achilles injury. Another missing weapon and challenge for Brock Purdy, as Evans’ 33.6% Target Rate ranks No. 3 for all WR’s.
Christian Kirk’s return from IR couldn’t come at a better time for the 49ers, as he will be one of four active WR’s for the 49ers in this game along with Brandin Cooks, Jordan Watkins and Jacob Cowing. George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey should be heavily featured as well. Fantasy football managers will have to wait an extra week to see how Evans’ recovery is coming along, as the 49ers are on Bye in Week 8.
San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey ...
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey had 68...
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey is not...
David Lombardi reports rookie RB Kaelon Black was added to the injury report as limited participant Thursday with a groin issue. Black surprised many in Week 1 by playing 43% of snaps, while rushing for 65 yards on 14 attempts and adding a 5-yard reception. Christian McCaffrey praised Black this week in an interview, likening his ability to have the impact for him that David Montgomery had last year on Jahmyr Gibbs and Tyler Allgeier had on Bijan Robinson to keep them fresh.
Black was a big riser after Week 1’s surprising performance and one of the biggest waiver adds of the week. Fantasy football manager’s will need to keep an eye on tomorrow’s practice report to see Black’s level of participation in order to get a better idea if he will be able to play this weekend.
We have not seen rookie usage like this since Elijah Mitchell secured nineteen carries in the season opener for the 49ers back in 2021. Christian McCaffrey played just fifty-five percent of the snaps overseas, signaling a dialed-back workload moving forward.
Fantasy managers need to roster Kaelon Black immediately, because his route participation and carry share points to massive contingent value. He is suddenly one of the most valuable handcuffs in all of fantasy football.
Rapoport reports that De’Zhaun Stribling has a deltoid sprain in his ankle which is expected to keep him out at least a month. Stribling is seeking more opinions, and surgery is a possibility if it doesn’t improve on its own – which would shelve him for the rest of the 2026 season. Either way, this is already a brutal loss for the 49ers after already losing Ricky Pearsall for the season with a PCL injury.
Fantasy Football managers will have to hope Stribling can avoid surgery. After being a surprise early 2nd round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Stribling has impressed enough all offseason to rise up to No. 55 in PlayerProfiler’s WR dynasty rankings. At least for now, it’s next man up in San Francisco.
Drafted in Round 3, Kaelon Black returned from a thigh injury to command first-team reps with Christian McCaffrey sidelined, flashing his 100.6 Speed Score on a 50-yard explosive run and securing high-value touches near the goal line. With Jordan James nursing a broken rib, Black drew praise from Brock Purdy for his contact balance, taking firm control of the primary backup role.
Stash Black across deep redraft formats to capture immense contingent upside if the brittle, 30-year-old McCaffrey misses regular-season snaps. Black is PlayerProfiler’s RB55 for fantasy football dynasty leagues.
Jordan James seized a clear edge for the RB2 role in San Francisco heading into camp, but his position on the depth chart is suddenly tenuous. Kaelon Black is the last man standing behind Christian McCaffrey following injuries to Guerendo and James. Black checks in with a 100.6 Speed Score and a 126.3 Burst Score, has stepped into the No. 2 running back role in San Francisco following these injuries.
With Isaac Guerendo also sidelined, Black now has an opportunity to become McCaffrey’s handcuff with solid training camp performances. Black and James are two ships passing in the night as Black has blown past James on PlayerProfiler’s Dynasty Rankings.
