NFL Player News

This is the first practice of the week for the 49ers, who face the Jets on Monday night. McCaffrey didn’t take a preseason snap due to a calf strain he suffered in early August and is clearly still working through things. Playing through calf and/or Achilles injuries always seems risky, so we’ll see how things go for CMC throughout the week. That he can log a limited session with five days until kick-off is a good sign he’ll be ready for Week 1, but we’ll see how things progress. In the unlikely scenario McCaffrey sits, Jordan Mason would have high-end RB2 upside against the Jets.

Shockingly important to the Broncos’ passing attack thus far, Reynolds is pushing the top 20 in overall receiving yardage. That’s not going to last long, but Reynolds could maybe operate as a desperation WR4 vs. a banged-up Bucs defense.

He’s going to be out there against the Bucs. Dulcich has 11 targets but only 28 yards through two weeks. We would like to say the center can’t hold there, but that’s “Bo Nix ball.” Dulcich is a low-upside TE2.

We haven’t seen much concern as to White’s Week 3 status, though a “full” practice on Friday would be nice. For now we would expect the Bucs’ lead back to be ready for his typical RB2 workload, though White coming out of the gate slow and Bucky Irving getting the “hot hand” would be within the range of outcomes.

“Yeah, for sure,” was Jefferson’s Thursday response when asked if he will be a go. Jefferson has yet to get in a full practice this week, but the fact that he’s practicing at all after departing last Sunday’s contest has told the tale. Jefferson will be in the top three for a game we hope doesn’t turn into a “surprising” defensive slugfest.

Wednesday was just a day of maintenance for a veteran back who had a difficult time staying healthy in 2023. Although Ty Chandler got more involved in Week 2, Jones’ snap share actually increased from Week 1. He remains a wild card RB2 in the 18-24 range.

Johnson’s year is over. The 2022 first-round pick tore the Achilles during Week 2 against the Titans. Johnson finished with 7.5 sacks in 2024 during his second season, and was expected to be a big part of their pass rush. That won’t happen now, and New York may need to look externally with Haason Riddick unlikely to report to the Jets in the foreseeable future.

Gesicki picked up the calf injury late in Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs, but it doesn’t appear that this is anything more then a precautionary measure for the 28-year-old. The 28-year-old has been a big part of the offense thus far and is coming off a 91-yard effort against Kansas City, and while he may not see as much action if Tee Higgins (hamstring) can play, he remains on the TE1 radar.

As expected, Samuel wasn’t able to practice as he’s likely to miss a few weeks while dealing with his calf strain. The 49ers also didn’t have George Kittle available for Thursday’s session, so it could be a big day for targets for Jauan Jennings during Week 3’s bout against the Eagles.

The injury will sideline Jordan for the remainder of the 2024 season. It’s a disappointing development for a player that looked to be on the rise, but now will not be able to play until 2025. Dalton Schultz will remain the starting tight end for the Texans, with Cade Stover — and potentially Irv Smith Jr. — seeing more reps along the way.

It’s not a huge surprise that Higgins wasn’t a full participant in Thursday’s session ahead of a Monday Night Football tilt against the Commanders. The wideout will hopefully be able to get in a full practice before the contest, but it seems more likely than not he’ll make his season debut for that contest against Washington.