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    Christian McCaffrey (tightness) still sidelined

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    49ers RB Christian McCaffrey (tightness) did not practice on Sunday.

    The 49ers do not have to disclose any details here, so we just have to wait until McCaffrey either tells us himself or retakes the practice field. The veteran running back has plenty of time to get right for Week 1. We are not overly concerned. He remains a high-end RB1 for the 2026 season, but we will provide an update whenever we get one.
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Paul Pabst and Andrew Perloff recommend their favorite prop bets for Week 3's Sunday Night Football matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and the Denver Broncos.

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  • SF Running Back #23
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    It was not an efficient day for the 49ers’ running backs, but Brock Purdy dissected the Dolphins enough that McCaffrey was set up for a couple of easy touchdown runs. His longest rush of the day was just five yards, so the team will be looking to get that sorted out ahead of Week 3’s game against the Cardinals. The positive news is that McCaffrey didn’t really split time with Kaelon Black as much before the end of the game. He remains a locked-in RB1.
  • SF Running Back #23
    McCaffrey and Williams were listed as DNP simply for rest, while Bosa had a rest/knee designation and Greenlaw had a rest/Achilles designation. This is notable as the 49ers have several key veterans who have dealt with injuries throughout their career and practice reps will be managed for these players, especially coming off a Week 1 in Australia. McCaffrey reportedly dealt with cramps in the 49ers’ Week 1 win over the Rams; though he is not injured, his experiences with Achilles tendinitis will certainly lend to rest days throughout the season. We expect the 49ers to continue to rest veterans in practice throughout the season in an effort to remain healthy.
  • SF Running Back #23
    McCaffrey’s usage was a bit underwhelming in the first half of Thursday’s win. The 30-year-old running back played on 20 offensive snaps to Kaelon Black’s, while Black’s seven rush attempts more than doubled the three carries we saw from CMC, who also saw six first-half targets. McCaffrey’s second-half usage saw a slight uptick, but it’s possible some of what we saw as it pertains to last night’s split was related to this cramping issue. McCaffrey was undoubtedly the more efficient of the two Niners backs in last night’s win, but Black was solid in his debut, rushing 14 times for 65 yards. McCaffrey should be positioned for a big Week 2 game next week against the Dolphins.
  • SF Running Back #23
    The man they call CMC was not a big part of the first-half attack, but saw plenty more touches over the final two quarters to turn what was looking like an ugly fantasy debut into a decent — although far from spectacular — outing for the 30-year-old veteran. It’s worth noting that Kaelon Black received 14 carries in the contest for 68 yards, and it’s likely that Black is going to be involved going forward in at least a somewhat similar capacity. McCaffrey should still get plenty of touches going forward, and should have a good day against the Dolphins in Week 2.
  • SF Running Back #23
    While most of us were asleep on Sunday night, the 49ers were already conducting a Monday afternoon practice in Australia. According to NBC Sports’ Matt Maiocco, McCaffrey was not seen taking part in drills during the early portion of practice. It’s possible this is by design as the Niners prepare for their season opener on Thursday against the Rams, so we won’t read too much into this just yet. McCaffrey missed some time during training camp due to “tightness,” but seemingly downplayed any idea of an injury when he later said the time off during camp was “the plan from the jump.” This is something to keep an eye on in the coming days, but for now, we’ll assume McCaffrey will be good to go for the season opener. According to Maiocco, DE Nick Bosa was also not spotted during the early portion of practice on Monday.
  • SF Running Back #23
    The most important takeaway is that McCaffrey has resumed practicing. Whether the planned aspect is true or not is secondary. That said, one wonders why the team chose to say their star running back was sidelined by “tightness,” rather than simply telling reporters he was taking veteran rest days, which is quite common for a 30-year-old player. McCaffrey said the team wanted him to “ramp up pretty big” early on, before taking time off, and later initiating another ramp-up period, “so we’re fresh for the duration.” McCaffrey says he feels “fresh” after taking nearly two weeks off. We would hope so. He’s a locked-in RB1 at this time.
  • SF Running Back #23
    On the same day the Niners saw George Kittle return from his Achilles injury, the team also got back McCaffrey, who had been sidelined since August 10 due to his “tightness.” Assuming he doesn’t miss any more time and we don’t hear anything else about this injury or a new one, McCaffrey appears to be in good shape to be ready in time for the Niners’ Week 1 opener when they take on the Rams in Australia 18 days from now.
  • SF Running Back #23
    There had been previous speculation, most notably from Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio and 49ers beat guy Grant Cohn, that McCaffrey’s tightness that cropped up just days after Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs reset the running back market was him holding in for a new contract of his own. Rapoport shot that down in a report Monday night, calling the timing of the injury a coincidence. Rapoport noted that it sounds like McCaffrey was angling for a new contract over the offseason, though those talks went nowhere. In positive news for fantasy managers, he also added that it’s his understanding the injury isn’t anything to worry about, which implies McCaffrey will be ready for the start of the regular season.
  • SF Running Back #23
    We’ll assume the vague categorization means there’s not much to worry about. It was reported in May that the 49ers wanted to be “cautious” with McCaffrey’s summer workload as he ramps up for the season, so it’s possible there’s a little bit of load management going on here while McCaffrey works through this “tightness.” The 49ers have seen several notable players go down due to injuries early in camp. Hopefully this is a non-issue for CMC, and we see him back on the practice field soon.
  • SF Running Back #23
    McCaffrey practiced with the team on Wednesday. He was held out of team drills on Thursday and worked on his conditioning on a side field instead. Late in March, coach Kyle Shanahan said he wants less “wear and tear” on McCaffrey this season. The plan to reduce wear and tear may be limited to the practice week. McCaffrey told reporters today that he thinks “the workload in our sport is really monitored in practice, not in games,” and that he likes to prepare himself “for playing every snap.” McCaffrey posted a league-leading and career-high 413 touches last season. If sitting out practices regularly allows him to handle a similar workload this season, he will once again compete for the overall RB1 spot in fantasy.

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    Tucker Kraft caught 4-of-8 targets for 26 yards in the Packers’ Week 3 loss to the Falcons.

    Kraft has not yet looked himself after recovering from a torn ACL suffered in 2025, this time committing two drops for the first time in his career. To add additional context, Kraft has never had more than three drops in an entire season entering his fourth year in the league. The game plan clearly consisted of getting Kraft involved early to circumvent the offensive line struggles, but the connection with Jordan Love was off throughout. Kraft appears likely to need time to get back to full speed for the Packers, although his snaps and route participation rate were back to normal for the second consecutive week. Fantasy managers are likely forced to ride through the turbulence considering the state of the tight end position throughout the league, but he is a shaky start ahead of a Week 4 matchup with the Buccaneers.
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    Christian Watson caught 7-of-10 targets for 96 yards and a touchdown in the Packers’ Week 3 loss to the Falcons.

    Watson now has four touchdowns through three games while ranking one target behind Matthew Golden for the team lead at 29. Even better news for fantasy managers is the fact that we’re likely to see this sudden spike in pass volume continue forward given the current state of the Green Bay backfield and offensive line, meaning fantasy managers can continue to start Watson as a legitimate WR1 ahead of a road meeting with the pass-funnel Buccaneers in Week 4.
  • GB Wide Receiver #0
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    Matthew Golden caught 5-of-12 targets for 100 yards and a touchdown in the Packers’ Week 3 loss to the Falcons.

    It took Golden deep into the fourth quarter of Week 3 of his sophomore campaign to notch his first regular season touchdown, doing so by making a nice adjustment on a ball thrown behind him on a slant in the red zone. Golden leads the Packers with 30 targets through three games and should continue to bring weekly WR3 production, with upside for WR2 output, while operating as the X-type receiver in a Matt LaFleur offense. Increasing those chances is an offensive line that ranks as one of the worst units in the league that is paired with the absence of Josh Jacobs to bring zero run game support to Jordan Love and the Packers, making increased weekly pass volume something we’re likely to see carry forward in the immediate future. Golden is an upside WR2 ahead of a Week 4 matchup against the pass-funnel Buccaneers.
  • GB Running Back #26
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    Kaleb Johnson rushed four times for six yards in the Packers’ Week 3 loss to the Falcons, adding 10 yards on one reception.

    The two backs combined for the only eight running back rush attempts on a night the Packers’ offensive line was completely manhandled by an aggressive and athletic Atlanta front. Lloyd took his four carries for 11 yards while Johnson managed only six on his four totes. Both backs were targeted three times through the air, with Johnson going for 10 yards on one reception and Lloyd managing just seven yards on two grabs. This backfield is a complete mess amidst Josh Jacobs’ absence and mounting injuries along the offensive line, with neither back anywhere near a usable fantasy asset ahead of a Week 4 road matchup with the pass-funnel Buccaneers.
  • GB Quarterback #10
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    Jordan Love completed 28-of-53 passes for 312 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in the Packers’ 35-14, Week 3 loss to the Falcons.

    Love was completely overrun by consistent pressure throughout on a night the Packers attempted 53 passes to just eight running back carries. The Atlanta defensive line took advantage of mounting injuries and ineffective play along the Green Bay offensive line to disrupt any offensive rhythm for the Packers. Love’s two touchdowns went to his top two options through the air in Christian Watson and Matthew Golden, the latter of whom notched the first regular season touchdown of his young career late in the fourth quarter. Matt LaFleur, Love, and the rest of the Packers have some significant work to do if they are to save their quickly sinking season. Love falls to a middling QB2 ahead of a road matchup with an aggressive Buccaneers defense in Week 4.
  • ATL Tight End #8
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    Kyle Pitts caught 1-of-2 targets for five yards in the Falcons’ Week 3 win over the Packers.

    Pitts was the recipient of Michael Penix’s first completion of the 2026 season, with the latter making his season debut following ACL surgery. The return of his starting quarterback was not enough to give Pitts his first fantasy-relevant performance of the season as he watched blocking tight end Austin Hooper score the lone receiving touchdown of the evening from five yards out in the second quarter. Fantasy managers are stuck in the constant hype cycle with Pitts with very little to show for it through three games, making Pitts a difficult start on the road against the Saints in Week 4.
  • ATL Wide Receiver #5
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    Drake London caught 9-of-10 targets for 194 yards in the Falcons’ Week 3 win over the Packers.

    To make the stat line more impressive, London didn’t catch his first pass until three minutes into the second quarter following a 1-of-5 start from Michael Penix. He would catch his final nine targets on his way to a massive fantasy day, combining with Bijan Robinson to set the NFL record for a wide receiver and running back duo to both go over 150 yards in the same game with three such occurrences. London continues to excel with Penix under center and returns to the WR1 ranks in fantasy circles ahead of a Week 4 meeting with the Saints.
  • ATL Running Back #15
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    Brian Robinson rushed 10 times for 50 yards and a touchdown in the Falcons’ Week 3 win over the Packers.

    Brian Robinson’s 10 carries paled in comparison to the 29 of Bijan Robinson but were enough to give him his first fantasy-relevant week of the young season. His third quarter score came from seven yards out after Bijan has pulled himself from the game following extensive work on the drive. Brian Robinson remains one of the top pure handcuffs in fantasy circles but will be a difficult start until bye weeks start piling up in Week 5.
  • ATL Running Back #7
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    Bijan Robinson rushed 29 times for 194 yards and two touchdowns in the Falcons’ Week 3 win over the Packers, adding 19 yards on two receptions.

    Robinson single-handedly out-gained the Packers in the first half after clearing the century mark on the ground early in the second quarter. His patience and burst through the gap were on full display, routinely gaining chunk yardage on first down while making the Green Bay defensive front look like Swiss cheese. A 55-yard scamper on a wide zone carry in the first quarter got the All Pro back off to a blazing start, adding his first of two touchdowns to cap the drive. He would take on a second score late in the fourth quarter to send the Packers to their first home opener loss in 14 years. Robinson remains an elite RB1 ahead of a Week 4 matchup with the division rival Saints.
  • ATL Quarterback #9
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    Michael Penix completed 18-of-25 passes for 256 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in the Falcons’ 35-14, Week 3 win over the Packers.

    The final stat line looks more impressive when you consider Penix started the game 1-of-5 passing with an interception, settling into the game from there to go on to complete 17 of his final 20 pass attempts. As was the case during his rookie season, Penix leaned on his top option through the air, feeding Drake London 10 targets that the talented receiver parlayed into a gaudy 194 yards, with no other pass-catcher surpassing the 19 yards receiving of running back Bijan Robinson. The Falcons improve to 1-2 on the young season while handing the Packers their first home opener loss in 14 years. Penix has all the look of an upside QB2 and deserves streaming consideration ahead of a road matchup with the Saints in Week 4.