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    Christian Kirk leaves practice early with trainer

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    SF Wide Receiver #3
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    The Athletic’s Matt Barrows reports that 49ers WR Christian Kirk “walked off with a trainer midway through the session” on Sunday.

    Kirk, 29, is entering his ninth NFL season. As is often the case with NFL veterans, Kirk has picked up his fair share of injuries over the years, including two hamstring strains last season. Fortunately, we are a long way from Week 1. There is no cause for concern at this time. 49ers acting head coach Chris Foerster will address the media shortly, so we could have clarity as to what the issue is soon.
Baker drama 'out the window' after extension
Mike Florio reacts to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers reportedly extending Baker Mayfield for three years, saying that the QB situation is now "out the window" and they're focused on making another playoff run.

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  • SF Wide Receiver #3
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    San Francisco also placed offensive lineman Austen Pleasants on injured reserve. Both players will miss at least four games to start the year. Kirk missed most of training camp with the calf issue. Mike Evans, De’Zhaun Stribling, and Deebo Samuel will start for the team in three-receiver sets. Even when Kirk comes back, he’s likely stuck as the WR4 on the depth chart.
  • SF Wide Receiver #3
    Barrows’ phrasing leaves room for interpretation, but it seems as though he is suggesting Kirk could be a cut candidate. The veteran wide receiver was sidelined by a calf injury in the spring and reinjured it in the first practice of training camp. He should probably be avoided in fantasy drafts at this time.
  • SF Wide Receiver #3
    Kirk was seen leaving Sunday’s practice with trainers and was later diagnosed with a calf strain that will sideline him for the foreseeable future. The veteran receiver signed a one-year deal with the 49ers this offseason, is expected to compete for playing time with Ricky Pearsall, De’Zhaun Stribling, and Jordan Watkins. Kirk caught 28 passes for 239 yards and one touchdown in 13 games with the Texans last season
  • SF Wide Receiver #13
    Kirk spent last season in a backup role with the Texans, finishing the year with 28 receptions for 239 yards and one touchdown on 52 targets. The veteran receiver has seen 99 targets in 21 games over the last two seasons while playing over 75 percent of his snaps from the slot. In 2025, current free agent Jauan Jennings led the 49ers with 142 slot snaps, but he’s unlikely to return to the team. Depending on how the rest of the offseason goes, Kirk could earn a decent role in San Francisco, but it’s hard to imagine him having too much fantasy viability outside of deep leagues.
  • HOU Wide Receiver #13
    One of Kirk’s missed connections was a hellacious first quarter drop. A Wild Card hero, Kirk was one of many Divisional Round goats despite his 10-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Mostly a 4-6 target player out of the slot this season, Kirk was able to hold off third-round rookie Jaylin Noel, but only just. Now heading into his age-30 campaign as he prepares for free agency, Kirk could be a victim of the Texans’ receiver youth movement. Wherever he plays in 2026, the best he could hope for in fantasy is low-ceiling WR4 status.
  • HOU Wide Receiver #12
    Collins was unable to practice throughout the week. Texans slot WR Christian Kirk operated as the team’s No. 1 wide receiver last week, and is likely the best bet to do so again against the Patriots. It is an unfortunate development for Collins, who also missed his team’s Week 8 game against the 49ers due to concussion. Texans rookie WRs, Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, have a chance to rise to the occasion.
  • HOU Wide Receiver #12
    The Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan M. Alexander believes Collins is “a long shot” to play on Sunday against the Patriots, given “the steps he must clear.” Unfortunately, he might be right. Collins still has time to advance through the NFL’s five-phase concussion protocol, but another absence at tomorrow’s practice would be discouraging. Veteran slot WR Christian Kirk stepped up last week, catching 8-of-9 targets for 144 yards and one touchdown in the Texans’ Wild Card win over the Steelers. We expect him to operate as the team’s top target earner if Collins cannot play.
  • HOU Wide Receiver #13
    Kirk served as quarterback C.J. Stroud’s primary option throughout as alpha wide receiver Nico Collins drew lockdown shadow coverage from standout corner Joey Porter Jr. That role only grew in the fourth quarter following Collins’ departure due to a concussion, an ailment that has a good chance of keeping him sidelined through the team’s Divisional Round matchup against the Patriots next weekend. Jayden Higgins will likely step into the primary perimeter role in the absence of Collins after catching 3-of-4 targets for 39 yards against the Steelers, while Xavier Hutchinson and Jaylin Noel split WR3 duties.
  • HOU Wide Receiver
    Noel managed just 11 offensive snaps, but still outgained Christian Kirk (39 snaps, minus-3 yards on two targets) in the box score. We don’t get it, and we haven’t all season. The Texans look happy with him as a kick returner but Noel has made no real in-roads to a starting job in the 2025 season.
  • HOU Wide Receiver #13
    Kirk, questionable with an illness on Friday, not only played, but had his highest snap count (39) since Week 9 and highest target count since Week 12. Did the listing remind the Texans that he was on the roster? We don’t get it — and while he had one nice slant over the middle here, there was nothing that otherwise said Kirk needed to be a featured target. They don’t let us control target counts though, as much as we ask. Kirk will be a weak WR5 play against the Chargers in Week 17.

Rotoworld

  • SF Defensive Tackle #95
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    49ers DT Alfred Collins suffered a torn patellar tendon and is out for the 2026 season.

    Collins tore his patellar tendon during the 49ers’ first Australia practice last night. It’s an unfortunate break for the 2025 second-round pick, set to start Week 1 for the 49ers defensive line against the Rams. Collins’ biggest play last season was forcing a goal-line Kyren Williams fumble in Week 5. He will instead need knee surgery and begin a journey back from injury for 2027. The 49ers will reach into their defensive tackle depth and may activate Kevin Givens or Sebastian Valdez from the practice squad for Week 1 in Australia against the Rams.
  • PIT Cornerback #24
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    NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports the Steelers made a contract extension offer to CB Joey Porter Jr.

    According to Garafolo, the Steelers made an offer to Porter but it is “not good enough” for a contract extension to be imminent. This seems to be the first offer Pittsburgh has made to the 26-year-old, so there are at least negotiations happening. With both Devon Witherspoon and Christian Gonzalez getting top-of-market deals done, all eyes are on Porter as last among the big cornerback extensions to get done. Garafolo adds the Steelers will not negotiate into the season past Week 1, so both sides have a few days to get a deal done before talks are tabled until the end of the season.
  • LA Defensive End #95
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    Rams EDGE Myles Garrett (knee) did not participate in Tuesday’s practice.

    Garrett was a non-participant in practice Tuesday, but it looks to be a load management day with other Rams players listed as DNP due to rest and head coach Sean McVay saying Tuesday he expects Garrett to play Week 1. Though the team will be without Aaron Donald for opening day, the Rams are still expecting to have Garrett good to go against the 49ers.
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    49ers TE George Kittle (Achilles) was limited in Tuesday’s practice.

    Kittle continues to work his way back from an Achilles tear in January and is seemingly on track to play Week 1. He practiced on Monday and gets in a limited practice again on Tuesday. Offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak was confident in Kittle’s availability this week, saying the 32-year-old looked good while the team practices in Australia. The entire 49ers offense practiced in some capacity Tuesday. Kittle’s chances of playing are trending upward; he’s a low-end TE1 if he plays against the Rams this week.
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    Buccaneers signed QB Baker Mayfield to a three-year, $165 million contract extension.

    The Buccaneers apparently reached out to Mayfield’s agent over the weekend; deadline do drive action after all. Mayfield is now under contract through his age-34 season. It’s not exactly a curious move for the Buccaneers — they didn’t have much of an avenue to find another quarterback given where they usually pick and rookie UDFA Jalon Daniels is their current backup. It is still a little surprising they let it twist in the wind as long as it did. Mayfield likely will be near the $50 million average annual value club once all the figures come in. (Some of this will be folded into the already-existing one-year contract.) He’ll be a reasonable superflex QB2 with a shot to rebound now that last year’s injuries are behind him.
  • NE Defensive Tackle #90
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    Christian Barmore (knee) is not on New England’s final injury report for Week 1’s game against the Seahawks.

    He practiced in full on both Monday and Tuesday and seems set to go for the Wednesday opener. We’ll keep an eye on Barmore’s practice status going forward but the 27-year-old is definitely a candidate to get vet days this season.
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    Patriots RB TreVeyon Henderson (ankle) will not play in New England’s Week 1 game against the Seahawks.

    Henderson did not practice at any point this week and should be considered questionable heading into Week 2’s games. Rhamondre Stevenson will get the bulk of the load against Seattle and should factor into the RB2 equation despite a tough matchup on paper. The Patriots also ruled out Ben Brown (knee), who did not travel with the team to Seattle.
  • SEA Wide Receiver #15
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    Tory Horton (hamstring) is questionable for Seattle’s Week 1 game against the Patriots.

    Even if Horton does play, he’s unlikely to be more than the fourth receiver behind Rashid Shaheed, Cooper Kupp and all-world Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The second-year receiver looked great early in 2025 but has dealt with a ton of injuries ever since, leading the Seahawks to their midseason trade for Shaheed last year.
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    Nick Emmanwori (ankle) is questionable for Seattle’s Week 1 game against the Patriots.

    One of Seattle’s other projected starters on defense, Ty Okada, was ruled out with a hamstring injury. It would certainly be a boon to Rhamondre Stevenson’s value if Emmanwori can’t go on Wednesday. Emmanwori had surgery on his ankle in July and opened camp on the PUP list. He’s generally been regarded as more doubtful-than-questionable, but there’s a chance he’s able to go based on this listing.
  • LA Defensive End #95
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    Rams coach Sean McVay said Myles Garrett (knee) will be ready to go for Week 1’s game against the 49ers.

    Heavily load-managed in the offseason, Garrett will enter his age-31 season fresh and ready to try to top last year’s 23-sack season in a new defense. We won’t be surprised if Garrett continues to be listed on the injury report going forward, but if he’s going to play through this there’s probably no need to be concerned about the report unless new concerns arise.