NFL

The 49ers have had poor injury luck at the running back position this summer. Herbert, 28, provides a steady veteran presence. The team correspondingly placed RB Patrick Taylor on injured reserve.

The Athletic’s Matt Barrows notes that at 30 years old, Samuel is “not going to be close to an every-down player.” 49ers WRs Jordan Watkins and Jacob Cowing are competing to be Samuel’s backup, though neither player will be reliable in fantasy. Samuel may also struggle to return FLEX value at this point in his career.

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.

The Rams have now hosted Donald for two workouts in recent weeks. McVay believes there will be more. Donald is reportedly “feeling good” right now, but there doesn’t seem to be a lean one way or the other. With the regular season opener fast approaching, one assumes a decision will come in the next two or so weeks.

Beck is scheduled to resume throwing after practice today, though, so the Cardinals’ rookie is indeed on the mend. Beck looked good in his prior preseason action. Hopefully, he has a chance to return in time for his team’s final preseason game against the Packers next week.

The 49ers’ quarterback is not a straight-line burner, but he is more agile than he is given credit for. Purdy adds that he won’t constantly be looking for opportunities to run, however, he believes he can help the offense by scrambling for 10-12 yards from time to time. Purdy has racked up 113 carries over the past two NFL seasons, including the playoffs, proving himself an efficient scrambler with a 47.8 percent conversion rate that ranks first among quarterbacks with at least 50 attempts. He’s a borderline QB1/2. Scrambling more often could get him into the weekly low-end QB1 tier.

Rapp spent the last three in Buffalo. He totaled 19 tackles and one quarterback pressure in six games last year. The Broncos correspondingly waived LB Levelle Bailey with an injury designation.

Williams spent Weeks 3-8 on injured reserve with a knee injury last year. He later ruptured an Achilles tendon in Week 16. He totaled three pass breakups, one interception, 37 tackles and three quarterback pressures while active.

Judkins has now missed two practices in a row. Cleveland’s Mary Kay Cabot reported Judkins’ absence yesterday, noting that Monken abruptly ended Tuesday’s practice because the defense was playing with too much physicality. Per Cabot, Judkins was “the object of much of the chippiness” that day. Monken said Judkins’ injury is unrelated, though. The second-year running back suffered a season-ending fibula fracture and ankle dislocation last year. Hopefully, Judkins’ current issue is unrelated. He could return weekly RB2 value this year, though RB Dylan Sampson could keep Judkins stuck in a run-centric role.

The Saints’ backup running back statuses continue to change. Veteran No. 2 RB Alvin Kamara (knee) is expected to be sidelined for at least one month, and RB Audric Estime is now sidelined with an undisclosed injury. Miller and RB Devin Neal (hamstring) both returned this week, though. Beat reporter Jeff Nowak notes that Miller, Neal and RB Ty Chandler were all allowed to rotate in for first-team reps today, as coach Kellen Moore presumably seeks out a viable primary backup for starting RB Travis Etienne. Per Nowak, Miller “looks sharp despite the time missed.” This is worth tracking for short-term bench stash purposes.