The 49ers selected Louisville RB Isaac Guerendo in Round 4 of the NFL Draft. Guerendo battled hamstring and foot injuries at Wisconsin. When healthy, he sat behind Jonathan Taylor and fellow rookie Braelon Allen. So, after five years in Madison (and only 99 carries), Guerendo transferred to Lousiville in 2023. He shared the backfield with Jawhar Jordan, who actually led the team with 181 carries (vs. 132 for Guerendo). The duo posted nearly identical receiving lines: 22-234-0 for Guerendo and 21-246-1 for Jordan. Guerendo wins with an impressive combo of size, speed, and athleticism. The 221-pounder brings return value, too, with 714 career kick return yards. He was the talk of the NFL Combine after posting a ridiculous all-around workout. Consider this: Guerendo’s 4.33 forty time, 129" broad jump, and 41.5" vertical jump all ranked in the 95th percentile or better among Combine RBs since 1999. Now, he doesn’t always play up to those testing numbers. But that potential remains as he gains more reps. In San Francisco, Guerendo will be battling for scraps behind Christian McCaffrey. It’s an awful spot for the rookie’s short-term fantasy value. Landing with HC Kyle Shanahan helps the long-term outlook. McCaffrey turns 28 in June and is signed through 2025.
49ers GM John Lynch and HC Kyle Shanahan talked about WR Ricky Pearsall as a guy they believe can contribute right away. “(Pearsall) just plays the position real well, whether he was outside, inside, all three positions,” Shanahan said in his post-draft press conference. “He can separate down the field, he can separate underneath, extremely good hands. … There’s nothing he can’t do." It sure sounds like the Pearsall pick was made with the expectation that WR Brandon Aiyuk or WR Deebo Samuel will be traded. Insider Michael Silver tweeted late Thursday night that he's heard Samuel is more likely to be traded at this point. Shipping away either guy would be excellent news for Pearsall's dynasty value -- and turn him into an interesting 2024 redraft pick.
The 49ers selected Florida WR Ricky Pearsall in Round 1 of the NFL Draft. Pearsall spent five years in college and will turn 24 before his second NFL game. But he’s a polished prospect, winning with precise route running, sticky hands, and after-catch elusiveness. Pearsall emerged as Arizona State’s No. 1 WR in his third year on campus in 2021. He then transferred to Florida, where he led the Gators with 661 receiving yards and five TDs in 2022. This past year brought new career highs with 65 catches and 965 yards – a big 31.4% of Florida’s total receiving yards. Pearsall also ran it 21 times for 253 yards (12.0 YPC) and five TDs across his five college seasons. He surprised at the Combine with a 4.41-second 40 time and 42-inch vertical at 6’1 and 189 pounds. Pearsall’s advanced age and middling production profile are legit concerns. But his polish and ability to contribute in multiple ways gives him a chance to make a fantasy impact early in his career. We'll see whether the 49ers retain Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel. Long term, the Florida product projects as a real-life WR2 and a potential fantasy WR3.
The Patriots are sending QB Mac Jones to the Jaguars for a sixth-round pick. That should be enough to set Jones as Trevor Lawrence's backup, given that he carries a $5 million cap number. It's also almost certainly just a one-year setup. Jacksonville must now decide this offseason on Jones' fifth-year option (for 2025) -- and that'll be an easy "no" on a year that would guarantee nearly $26 million in salary. We'll see whether Jones gets a shot to redeem himself in Jacksonville ... and where he lands in 2025. His only real dynasty value at this point is as a handcuff to Lawrence in superflex formats.
Louisville RB Isaac Guerendo rocked a 4.33-second 40 time at the Scouting Combine on Saturday. That rated 99th-percentile among historical Combine RBs. Doing so at 221 pounds gave him a 100th-percentile speed score (125.7) for the position. Be careful about getting overly excited for Guerendo, who failed to eclipse 64 carries across four seasons at Wisconsin. He rushed 132 times and caught 22 passes in a fifth year at Louisville, averaging 6.1 yards per rush and 10.6 per reception. Guerendo still trailed teammate Jawhar Jordan in carries, yards per carry, yards per catch, and TDs. We'll see where he lands in the NFL draft, but Guerendo looks more like an intriguing third-round pick for rookie drafts than a guy who should vault into the first two rounds.
The Rams re-signed WR Demarcus Robinson to a one-dear, $5 million deal. He flashed in 2023 with 26-371-4 across only 8 games. He'll likely stick in the Rams' WR3 role behind Puka Nacua Cooper Kupp, supplying some late-round fantasy appeal.
49ers TE George Kittle (toe) is not listed on the final injury report for the Super Bowl. He was a full participant in practice on Friday and should be ready for his usual role vs. the Chiefs on Sunday. Kansas City allowed the fifth-fewest receptions to WRs during the regular season but finished mid-pack in catches allowed to TEs. Kittle could be a big part of San Francisco's game plan.
49ers TE George Kittle (toe) got in a limited practice on Wednesday. He's fully expected to play in the Super Bowl this weekend, but we'll keep you updated on his status over the next few days.
49ers HC Kyle Shanahan said Monday that TE George Kittle is "day-to-day" with a toe injury suffered in the NFC Championship. It doesn't sound like he's in danger of missing the Super Bowl in two weeks, but we'll keep you updated on his status. Kittle gets a Chiefs defense that finished the regular season 14th in adjusted fantasy points allowed to TEs.
49ers RB Christian McCaffrey (calf) was a full-go in practice all week and is not listed on the final injury report. He'll be ready for his usual workhorse role vs. the Packers on Saturday night.
49ers RB Christian McCaffrey (calf) was a full participant in Tuesday's practice. He'll play -- and be ready for a full workload -- vs. the Packers on Saturday night. McCaffrey sits clear atop the RB Rankings for the Divisional Round.
49ers HC Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday that he expects RB Christian McCaffrey (calf) to be "full-go" in practice next week. That would obviously set CMC up for his usual workhorse role in the Divisional Round. We'll keep you updated on McCaffrey's status, but he seems safe to select for playoff fantasy rosters. He sits No. 1 overall in our NFL Playoff Fantasy Rankings.
49ers RB Christian McCaffrey (calf) will not play vs. the Rams this weekend, HC Kyle Shanahan confirmed Monday. Shanahan called McCaffrey's injury a "mild calf strain." It's unclear if CMC would be able to play if this game meant something to San Francisco, but he was never going to suit up with the NFC's No. 1 seed clinched. He'll get three total weeks to heal up before the 49ers' playoff opener. We'll see about the team's backfield plans this weekend. RBs Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason are on the active roster, with RB Ty Davis-Price on the practice squad.
Neither 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey nor HC Kyle Shanahan sounded concerned about the calf injury that knocked McCaffrey from Sunday's win over the Commanders. “I’m not sure what happened,” McCaffrey said. “It was pretty minor. I was having a hard time pushing off. And just for precautionary reasons, it’d be better to just rest it." Shanahan said, "We think he’ll be all right. He was moving around all right on the sideline. We’re hoping it’s not too bad, but we’ll know more tomorrow.” McCaffrey won't play in Sunday's meaningless regular-season finale and will then get a first-round playoff bye. It sounds like he'll be ready when the 49ers return for the Divisional Round. We'll keep you updated on McCaffrey's status.
49ers RB Christian McCaffrey is officially questionable to return to Sunday's game vs. the Commanders due to a calf. He's remained on the sidelines trying to get loose. We'll look for more info on his status. RB Elijah Mitchell has replaced McCaffrey as San Francisco's lead back.
49ers QB Brock Purdy (left shoulder) was a full-go in Wednesday's practice. He was reportedly cleared to return to Monday night's game and will be ready for this weekend's game vs. the Commanders' 32nd-ranked QB defense.
49ers QB Brock Purdy suffered a stinger in the fourth quarter of Monday night's game vs. the Ravens. He's been cleared to return, according to ESPN's Lisa Salters, but Purdy has remained on the sidelines with San Francisco trailing by 14. We'll look for more info on Purdy's status, but it sounds like we should expect him to be available for Week 17's game vs. the Commanders.
Niners QB Brock Purdy threw for 314 yards and 4 TDs in Sunday's lopsided win at Philadelphia. He hit Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, and Deebo Samuel (twice) for scores. It marked the fourth time in the past five games that Purdy threw for at least 296 yards (third game over 300) and the third game among the past four with at least 3 TD passes. Sunday's game marked a rebound from his QB25 fantasy finish in Week 12 against the Seahawks. Purdy gets a rematch with Seattle in Week 14, but we're not downgrading him. Two of the past four QBs to face the Seahawks have thrown 3 TD passes and finished among the top 3 fantasy QBs for the week. After that comes even better matchups with the Cardinals and Commanders in weeks 15 and 17, sandwiching a tough Week 16 spot vs. Baltimore.
Patriots QB Mac Jones was yanked in favor of QB Bailey Zappe at halftime of Sunday's game vs. the Giants. Jones went 12-of-21 for 89 yards, 0 TDs, and two INTs over the first 30 minutes, producing 0 points. We'll see how Zappe fares and what the Patriots do at QB going forward. It'll remain a situation to avoid in fantasy lineups.
NFL Network's Mike Garafolo confirms that Patriots QB Mac Jones will start today's game vs. the Giants. Garafolo adds that QB Bailey Zappe is "likely to be in the mix as well." It's unclear exactly what that means -- but it's clear that you should avoid this situation in Week 12 fantasy lineups.
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