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    CMC accumulates 88 total yards in blowout

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    Christian McCaffrey rushed 10 times for 68 yards in the 49ers’ Week 1 win over the Rams, adding five catches for 20 yards.

    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.
    - Christopher Crawford
Simms: Eagles' handling of Hurts 'concerning'
Chris Simms believes the Eagles could be in "big trouble" for how the organization handled Jalen Hurts' injury timeline and allowing him to play before ultimately placing him on injured reserve.

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  • SF Running Back #23
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    McCaffrey’s lone touchdown came on an 11-yard touchdown run immediately after the 49ers had recovered a fumble by Emanuel Wilson. He hasn’t had the gaudy yardage totals we’re accustomed to seeing, but fantasy managers won’t be mad at this performance. While McCaffrey has yet to rush for 100 yards in a game this season, he’s gone for 80-plus yards from scrimmage in three of five games and has scored in four straight. He continues to be the only fantasy-relevant running back on the Niners and is set up to smash in Week 6 against the Commanders on Monday Night Football.
  • SF Running Back #23
    Denver’s defense focused on slowing down McCaffrey and the Niners’ run game. That forced Brock Purdy and the offense into a more pass-heavy approach. CMC surprisingly was not all that involved in the passing attack against a Broncos defense that has been generous to pass catchers out of the backfield this season. He saved his fantasy day with a goal line plunge in the second half. Kaelon Black, meanwhile, saw six carries on the day. McCaffrey will be a top-5 option in Week 5 against the Seahawks.
  • SF Fullback #44
    Juszczyk suffered what looked to be a serious knee injury in the fourth quarter and didn’t return to the game after being helped off the field. He would constitute an outsized loss for Kyle Shanahan’s offense, particularly his run game designs. A long-term absence for the trusted Shanny fullback could be something of a blow for Christian McCaffrey’s weekly prospects.
  • SF Running Back #23
    McCaffrey continued to run as the engine of the 49ers’ offense, turning 19 touches into 116 yards. He carried the ball frequently after the 49ers went up big in the first half and was a key receiver when the Cardinals attempted to stage a late-game comeback. McCaffrey scored his touchdown by jumping over a pile for a fourth-quarter goal-line score. He followed that up with a one-handed catch to keep a key drive alive late in the game. Though LT Trent Williams left with injury, McCaffrey is a big enough part of the receiving game to overcome any rushing inefficiency. He continues to be a fantasy RB1 for Week 4 against the Broncos.
  • SF Running Back #23
    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
    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.

Rotoworld

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    ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports Elijah Arroyo (shoulder) is expected to miss time and it “could be an extended absence.”

    Arroyo’s career hasn’t really got off the ground with AJ Barner as the obvious No. 1 in the Seahawks tight end room. The 50th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft has just two targets this year and hasn’t been a fantasy factor yet.
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    Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said Baker Mayfield (thumb) is “supposed to practice Wednesday.”

    Bowles has already said that the team is preparing as if Jalon Daniels will start in Week 7, but the team will be evaluating Mayfield to see how he is progressing in his recovery from a dislocated thumb. Mayfield reportedly pushed to play last week after throwing on Monday, but his thumb swelled up, which factored into the decision to sit him in Week 6’s loss to the Steelers. Given Bowles’ comments about the team’s plans entering the week, it sounds like Mayfield is at risk of missing at least one more game, but we’ll see how his hand responds when he gets on the field on Wednesday.
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    NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports Sauce Gardner is considered week-to-week after suffering a calf strain in Week 6’s loss to the Titans.

    According to Rapoport, an MRI revealed a mild calf strain for Gardner, who is expected to be week-to-week with the injury. While he is expected to miss some time, Rapoport also notes that Gardner is not expected to miss “an extended period,” which suggests he won’t be placed on injured reserve. Gardner sounds like a virtual lock to miss Week 7’s game against the Vikings, so we’ll see if a week away gives him enough time to be ready for Week 8’s game against the Jaguars. Gardner has totaled 17 tackles and four pass breakups for the Colts this season while earning a PFF coverage grade of 62.6.
  • TB Quarterback #10
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    Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said the team is planning as if Jalon Daniels will start in Week 7 against the Panthers.

    Bowles said this week will be an important evaluation week for Baker Mayfield, who is still rehabbing a dislocated thumb that has sidelined him since Week 3. Daniels hasn’t been overly impressive in his three starts this season, throwing for 501 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions while also taking nine sacks. That said, he did manage to pull off a win over the Cowboys in Week 5 and had the Buccaneers in position to beat the Steelers in Week 6 before Pittsburgh erupted for 16 points in the fourth quarter to force overtime. We’ll see how things unfold throughout the week, but it sounds like Mayfield is at least one week away from returning. Daniels would be on the fantasy radar as a low-end QB2 if he gets the start against Carolina.
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    Dan Patrick of The Dan Patrick Show said a source familiar with the Colts’ GM situation told him the team’s “first call will be/has been to Peyton Manning.”

    Patrick isn’t a reporter we go to often here, but he’s a well-connected veteran in the industry. According to Patrick, his source said the call with Manning will not only be to get the names of potential candidates for the GM vacancy but also to “explore whether or not Peyton would be interested in being a general manager for the Colts as the entry point that would include ownership interest in the Colts.” Mannings’ connection to the Colts doesn’t need to be explained to anyone, but it’s far too early to say whether Manning has any interest in the role. Long-time GM Chris Ballard was recently relieved of his duties, and the Colts will likely speak to several candidates to fill the role in the offseason. Manning has not been involved in any football front office roles since retiring after the 2015 season.
  • IND Front Office
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    Colts assistant GM Ed Dodds will lead the team’s personnel department for the remainder of the season.

    With the Colts sitting on a 2-4 record and the trade deadline 22 days away, Dodds could be involved in some key roster decisions over the next three weeks. Dodds was hired as the Colts’ vice president of player personnel in 2017 and has been a candidate for several GM openings over the last few offseasons. Depending on how things go the rest of the way, it’s possible Dodds earns a chance to be promoted to the Colts GM position next offseason after the team fired Chris Ballard earlier in the day.
  • BAL Wide Receiver #6
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    Ja’Kobi Lane caught 4-of-5 targets for 40 yards in the Ravens’ Week 6 loss to the Browns.

    Lane was immediately involved in the offense after missing the previous four weeks with a wrist injury. The rookie third-rounder caught two of his four passes on the Ravens’ opening drive that ended with a short touchdown pass to Josh Cuevas and ran 22 routes on the day. Zay Flowers (34) and Devontez Walker (26) both ran more routes than Lane on the afternoon, but Lane has been targeted on 21.1 percent of his routes in limited action this season. Fantasy managers shouldn’t be looking to start him in Week 7 against the Bengals, but the early volume is encouraging for a player who was hyped up throughout training camp.
  • PHI Defensive Tackle #90
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    Jordan Davis (ankle) told reporters x-rays were negative on his ankle and he feels “OK” at this point.

    Davis is still a candidate to be limited in practice this week, but it doesn’t look like this injury is a major threat to send him to injured reserve or anything like that. Talking with the media after the game is a good sign for his future ability.
  • PHI Quarterback #1
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    NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports Jalen Hurts “will be out an estimated three months as he undergoes treatment” for blood clots.

    This would effectively end Hurts’ season, as a three-month absence would have him on track to return some time in late-January/early-February. In a statement released by Hurts’ agent, Nicole Lyyn, she said further tests revealed “deep vein thrombosis as well as bilateral pulmonary emboli.” She said that Hurts is stable and is not expected to have any “functional limitations” and that his treatment to resolve his blood clotting issues “should only involve anticoagulation [i.e., ‘blood thinners’].” As a result, Hurts will not be permitted to engage in football activities and will not be allowed to resume them until he is off his blood thinners. The good news here is that Hurts is expected to make a full recovery, and the doctors do not believe this will have a long-term effect on him moving forward. Hurts threw for 933 yards, eight touchdowns, and three interceptions this season while completing 57.8 percent of his passes — his lowest mark since his rookie season. He ran for another 107 yards and one touchdown as he and the Eagles struggled in his first five starts under offensive coordinator Sean Mannion. He remains under contract through the 2028 season, but Hurts has faced his fair share of scrutiny since leading the Eagles to a Super Bowl title in 2024. Hurts’ contract situation would suggest his job is more than secured for the foreseeable future, but this is the same Eagles front office that used a 2020 second round pick to select him as the heir apparent to Carson Wentz, who signed a four-year extension with the team in 2019. While we fully expect Hurts to be back with the Eagles next season, we can’t rule out the team using an early draft pick on a quarterback in a draft that is projected to be one of the more QB-rich drafts in recent memory. Tanner McKee, who started Week 6’s game against the Panthers, will take over as the team’s starter going forward.
  • FA Quarterback #13
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    Falcons released Cooper Rush.

    Rush’s release came after the Falcons signed Andy Dalton. Rush had a rough stretch with the Falcons, throwing for 229-1-4 in his two starts while completing 56.4 percent of his passes. Once regarded as one of the better backup quarterbacks in the league, Rush has struggled mightily in his two seasons away from the Cowboys, going 0-4 in his starts since 2024 while throwing one touchdown to eight interceptions. He could catch on elsewhere as a practice squad option in the coming days, but he seems like a long shot to start another game in 2026.