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    George Kittle to start camp on PUP list

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    49ers placed TE George Kittle on the physically unable to perform list.

    Speaking to the media Saturday, 49ers general manager John Lynch said that Kittle, Alfred Collins, and Isaac Guerendo will be moved to the PUP list ahead of the start of camp but that he is “optimistic on all of them hitting the practice field sooner than later.” As a reminder, players can be moved from the PUP list at any point during camp, meaning the fact that they currently find themselves with that designation does not mean they will miss anything meaningful to their fantasy value in 2026.
49ers could look to Stribling in Kirk's absence
Christian Kirk's calf injury sends ripple effects through the 49ers' wide receiver corps, with Patrick Daugherty sharing why San Francisco will have "no choice" but to give De'Zhaun Stribling more looks.

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  • SF Tight End #85
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    Kittle did some light cutting a few weeks ago in workouts and says he’s running over 16 miles an hour. The story also quotes Kyle Juszczyk as saying he thinks “there’s a real chance” Kittle is back for Week 1. We’re not sure if we’d go that far just yet, but it sure sounds like Kittle has a chance to be back in September despite tearing his Achilles against the Eagles in the playoffs.
  • SF Tight End #85
    Kittle met with the media this week and said that the Achilles is “doing great” and he has had no setbacks. He even said it’s realistic that he could come back eight months after tearing his Achilles. The tight end turns 33 this October and still hasn’t been cleared for practice as he worked off to the side during OTAs. Jake Tonges will fill in for Kittle if he has to miss any time this season.
  • SF Running Back #31
    49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan broke the news this afternoon. This is a bummer. Earlier this month, The Athletic’s Vic Tafur said he believed Guerendo was “buried” on the depth chart and will likely “be looking for a new team” at some point. The team could end up releasing him with an injury settlement, but we suppose some sort of reserve list placement is possible. 49ers RBs Jordan James and Kaelon Black can be expected to compete for RB2 duties at this time. The team also signed RBs Jordan Mims and Jermar Jefferson today.
  • SF Running Back #31
    Same. After Kaelon Black was added in the third round, it seems like he’ll be the real competitor for Jordan James in the backup spot. Guerendo didn’t exactly play poorly when given a chance, but the 49ers simply have to draft a running back every year per unspoken NFL guidelines. If Guerendo is released, he could be an interesting reclamation project elsewhere.
  • SF Tight End #85
    This is encouraging, though Shanahan added that he doesn’t want to say Kittle is “on track” to play, but he knows Kittle is “shooting for” a Week 1 return. One month ago, 49ers general manager John Lynch said he is “hopeful” that Kittle will be able to play in Week 1. It sounds like Kittle should return early in the 2026 season, even if Week 1 is out of reach. If they start him on the physically unable to perform list, he could return in Week 5. For the time being, it feels safe to say that he should be back by Week 5 or sooner. Anything can happen, though.
  • SF Running Back #29
    We’d heard that they’d had “big plans” for James, but this is more concrete. 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan said Isaac Guerendo “wasn’t the team’s second best runner” last year and “fell behind James in that category by the end of the season.” It seems the 49ers believe in Guerendo more as a pass-catcher, but they only have two healthy backs up as an operating principle. James didn’t have much of a regular season, but did have six rushes for 28 yards in garbage time against the eventual champion Seahawks in the Divisional Round. He’ll have some fantasy upside this year behind an aging Christian McCaffrey.
  • SF Tight End #85
    Per Lynch, Kittle is “progressing at a good rate” as he works through his rehab program. Kittle ruptured his Achilles tendon on January 11, 2026, in the 49ers’ Wild Card Round win over the Eagles. Dr. Neal ElAttrache repaired Kittle’s Achilles tendon later that week. A little over five weeks ago, ESPN’s Nick Wagoner said “it’s reasonable” to think Kittle could return in Week 5 “or so.” It sounds like Kittle now has a chance to beat that date, but we are a long way off from knowing anything definitive and Lynch’s status updates have trended towards being overly positive — Brandon Aiyuk is coming back any week now.
  • SF Tight End #85
    Wagoner’s long piece on Kittle’s injury is rooted in the idea that Kittle’s Achilles tear was “clean” and “happened high up by his soleus,” meaning the blood flow wasn’t as poor as it could be during the recovery. Kittle did not entirely rule out the idea of being ready for Week 1. We’d be surprised if a tight end entering his age-33 season was ready for Week 1, but we’ve learned not to count out any wild physical feats from Kittle. This timeline makes him a little more interesting in 2026 best ball, at the very least.
  • SF Running Back #29
    It’s an interesting assertion because James rarely played this year, starting the season with a wrist injury and eventually playing only three offensive snaps in three active regular season games. However, James did close out the Divisional Round loss to the Seahawks with six carries for 28 yards and it appears he could seize the No. 2 role behind Christian McCaffrey if Brian Robinson walks in free agency. Isaac Guerendo, per Tafur, “seems like an easy cut” if Robinson returns.
  • SF Tight End #85
    49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan adds that Kittle “is in good spirits,” post-op. That is good to hear. Kittle, 32, ruptured his Achilles tendon in San Francisco’s Wild Card win over the Eagles. He is under contract through 2029, having signed a four-year extension in April 2025. The procedure was notably performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache.

Rotoworld

  • MIN Linebacker #33
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    Raiders signed LB Jamal Adams, formerly of the Seahawks.

    The converted safety played the 2025 season as a linebacker but has managed to be active for only 15 games since 2022. The details of the signing were not immediately made available.
  • TB Nose Tackle #50
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    ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Buccaneers NT Vita Vea has requested a trade.

    This comes on the heels of Vea’s absence from minicamp as the two sides were locked in negotiations. The evident impasse ultimately led to the eight-year veteran requesting a trade. Vea has earned two Pro Bowl honors and has been one of the league’s top nose tackle since entering the league for the Buccaneers with the team’s 2018 first-round selection. Losing Vea would be a significant hurdle for the Buccaneer to clear considering so much of what they are able to do defensively revolves around his ability to clog the middle of the defensive line.
  • FA Wide Receiver #17
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    Free agent WR Zay Jones visited the Jaguars on Monday.

    The 31-year-old is coming off a torn achilles’ tendon suffered last November. He spent 2022-23 in Jacksonville, but that was under Doug Pederson’s coaching staff. Were Jones to end up back in Duval, it would be as a pure depth piece for one of the league’s deepest receiver groups.
  • GB Running Back #30
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    Packers placed RB Chris Brooks on the active/NFI list.

    The exact nature of Brooks’ “injury” is unclear. He took part in the offseason program. It could be something as simple as he failed the Packers’ conditioning test. Brooks’ status wouldn’t normally be worth updating, but these are not normal times in the Pack’s backfield as we await word on Josh Jacobs’ legal situation. Were Jacobs to end up suspended, the Packers would have a low-upside jumble that would undoubtedly include some Brooks touches. For now, we will assume he is soon activated. The same cannot be said for resolution to Jacobs’ situation, which appears complex and fluid.
  • Link copied to clipboard!

    Packers placed TE Tucker Kraft (knee) on the active/PUP list.

    Kraft had left open the possibility he would be full-go for the beginning of camp, but this was always a more likely outcome. Kraft can be activated at any time, but the conservative Packers will undoubtedly take their time. Once you are off the active/PUP list, you cannot return and are no longer a candidate for reserve/PUP. In other words, the Pack will want to be sure Kraft is healthy. The ascending fourth-year pro has a strong chance at being ready for Week 1, but it is not a forgone conclusion. We will keep you updated.
  • IND Wide Receiver #14
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    Colts placed WR Alec Pierce (ankle surgery) on the active/PUP list.

    It doesn’t change anything, though it formalizes the possibility Pierce could begin the regular season on the reserve/PUP list, which would cost him a minimum of four games. Players can be removed from the active/PUP list at any time, though teams tend to take their time, because once you’re off, you’re off. Pierce appears destined to spend at least a few weeks working off to the side and rehabbing. Amongst the many possible outcomes is Pierce being removed from the PUP list but still missing a game or two to begin the year. At this point, he should probably be considered on the wrong side of questionable for Week 1, making him a dicey WR3 draft play. It also leaves the Colts with some of the league’s worst receiver depth. This will be the first of many updates after the next few weeks.
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    Brock Purdy has christened No. 33 overall pick De’Zhaun Stribling a “baller.”

    We know, stop the presses that a quarterback likes one of his receivers. The extent of Purdy’s praise is nevertheless notable, especially with veteran Christian Kirk already shelved by a calf injury. “Dude is a baller, and I mean that,” Purdy began. “It’s hard to say that for a rookie, right off the jump, but just seeing him run routes. ... He’s smart. He’s learned the playbook really quick, which is awesome. And then, on top of that, you can see his strength, too.” Purdy went on for several more sentences. It’s still laughably early in the training camp process — the pads have yet to really come on — but Stribling was a controversial selection where immediate praise could not be taken for granted. The next step will be impressing coach Kyle Shanahan once the boss returns from injuries sustained in a car accident. There are snaps and targets for the taking in a receiver corps being remade on the fly this season.
  • FA Linebacker #57
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    Commanders LB Nick Bellore has retired after 15 years in the NFL.

    Bellore turned 37 in May. One of the league’s longest-tenured linchpin special teamers, Bellore spent what ended up being the final two years of his career with the Commanders. A two-time Pro Bowler, Bellore started zero games on defense after 2019. He was nevertheless valuable enough on the third unit to stick around another six seasons. He has the kind of résumé that could easily lead to a coaching career if he’s interested.
  • GB Running Back #32
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    MarShawn Lloyd spent “multiple months” of the offseason visiting a specialized injury rehabilitation institute.

    The report first surfaced last month via The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman, who reported Lloyd underwent a “comprehensive evaluation of his lower-body range of motion and his lower-body and lumbopelvic strength.” A longtime professional sports physician found Lloyd was “overcompensating at his ankle and hip, in part due to residual deficits in his knee from a 2020 ACL tear.” Schneidman called back to his report this week when he re-emphasized the Packers are finally optimistic about Lloyd’s health, but that they have “been optimistic before.” Although Lloyd is still in “any 2026 contribution should be considered a bonus” territory, his status is more important than it was two months ago after Josh Jacobs was arrested on domestic violence charges in May. Jacobs’ case remains open. Despite his absurd downside, Lloyd is the only Packers back with any upside behind the workhorse.
  • GB Defensive Lineman #1
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    The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman considers it unlikely Micah Parsons (knee) returns before Week 4.

    The Packers are famously conservative when it comes to injury recoveries, and Schneidman reports they have a hard and fast rule of “nine months without any football activity for players rehabbing major injuries.” We still wouldn’t be stunned if Parsons is a player who ends up breaking that supposed “rule,” but it would not be the first time fans were frustrated by the slow pace of a Packers rehabilitation. For his part, Parsons reported to training camp with a sunny social media post. If he is indeed going to miss regular season time, the first month feels like a good over/under.