San Francisco 49ers Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Niners LB Dre Greenlaw missed Wednesday's practice with an elbow injury. If he can't go Sunday against the Seahawks, then LB Azeez Al-Shaair would likely pick up starter-level snaps.

49ers TE George Kittle (groin) remained sidelined for Wednesday's practice. That's not a good start for his chances of returning for Sunday's game vs. the Seahawks. We'll see if Kittle is able to do anything on Thursday.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that 49ers RB Elijah Mitchell is expected to miss "about 2 months" with the MCL sprain he suffered in Sunday's loss at Chicago. Jeff Wilson Jr. stepped in after Mitchell left the game, though WR Deebo Samuel nearly matched his carry total (9-8). We'd bet on Samuel remaining significantly involved in the run game, which isn't great for his chances of staying healthy. We'd also expect rookie Tyrion Davis-Price to be activated for Week 2, after being a healthy scratch in the opener. RB Jordan Mason was active ahead of him but didn't play a snap on offense. Wilson is the only 49ers RB worth considering for Week 2 use. Don't expect him to land high in our Week 2 rankings when they hit the site Tuesday, however.

49ers RB Elijah Mitchell is expected to miss "a few weeks (or more)" with the knee injury he suffered in Sunday's opener vs. the Bears, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Mitchell is undergoing an MRI on Monday to get a full view of the damage to the knee. We should get a more concrete timeline for his return over the next couple days, but fantasy owners need to start making replacement plans. Jeff Wilson is the favorite to take over as San Francisco's lead RB, but Jordan Mason and Ty Davis-Price are also worth stashing.

Niners WR Deebo Samuel fulfilled the Deebo Samuel role in Sunday's opening loss to the Bears. He drew a team-high 8 targets but caught just 2 for 14 yards in rain-drenched conditions. Samuel added 52 yards and a TD on 8 carries, trailing only QB Trey Lance among 49ers in rushing yards. We certainly can't count on rushing scores every week for Samuel, but the target count to go with the rushing work is encouraging. That's what lacked in the 2nd half of last year, when he was getting more handoffs than passing looks. Brandon Aiyuk drew just 2 target against the Bears, catching both for 40 yards. WR Jauan Jennings posted team highs of 4 receptions and 62 yards on 6 targets.

Niners QB Trey Lance completed just 13 of 28 passes for 164 yards, 0 TDs and 1 INT in Sunday's rain-soaked loss at Chicago. He added 54 yards on 13 rushes, leading the team in both categories. The day presented tough weather conditions, but we can't shrug off the performance entirely. Week 2 should bring a friendlier setup: a home date with Seattle.

Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey ran for 33 yards and a score on 10 carries in Sunday's loss to the Browns, adding 4-24 receiving on 4 targets. A largely sluggish offensive day for Carolina hurt, and QB Baker Mayfield claimed a rushing TD from 7 yards out in the 4th quarter. D'Onta Foreman and Chubb Hubbard combined for just 3 carries and 0 targets behind him.

The 49ers have declared RB Elijah Mitchell out for the rest of today's game with a right-knee injury. We'll see about the severity.

Chicago has been hit with heavy rains this morning. It looks like the worst of it will be gone by kickoff of 49ers-Bears, but there will be lingering showers -- and a wet field. The forecast also calls for 15-20 mph winds. Less than ideal scoring conditions, although this looked like a low-scoring game anyways. Expect lots of running from both teams.

49ers RB Tyrion Davis-Price is a healthy scratch for today's opener vs. the Bears. Shades of Trey Sermon last year! -- although this one isn't nearly as big a surprise. San Francisco will roll with RBs Jeff Wilson and Jordan Mason behind starter Elijah Mitchell.

49ers TE George Kittle (groin) is officially inactive for today’s opener vs. the Bears. He suffered what’s been reported as a Grade 2 groin strain on Monday and didn’t practice the rest of the week. We’ll see if Kittle can make it back for Week 2. His absence is a significant loss for QB Trey Lance but frees up targets for WRs Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.

The 49ers remain "fully behind" QB Trey Lance, despite the decision to retain QB Jimmy Garoppolo, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Rapoport adds that the team simply couldn't pass up the opportunity to keep Garoppolo as a quality backup for just $6.5 million -- and that a midseason trade is still possible.

49ers TE George Kittle (groin) is "not likely" to play vs. the Bears today, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Kittle didn't practice after injuring his groin on Monday. "Pushing it early doesn't make sense," Rapoport tweets. We'll see if Kittle can make it back for Week 2. His absence is a significant loss for QB Trey Lance but frees up targets for WRs Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.

49ers insider Eric Branch confirms that TE George Kittle (groin) is not expected to play vs. the Bears on Sunday. Kittle is listed as questionable but didn't practice all week after hurting his groin on Monday. Kittle should be on fantasy benches at this point. We'll see if we hear anything different on his Week 1 status.

49ers TE George Kittle (groin) is listed as questionable for this weekend’s opener vs. the Bears. He didn’t practice on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday after hurting his groin on Monday. But Kittle said Friday that he’s gotten “progressively better” and is still hoping he can play this weekend. We’ll see. Fantasy owners obviously need to have a backup plan in place.

Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey (shin) is not listed on the final Week 1 injury report. He was added on Thursday after reportedly getting cleated in the shin but put in a full practice on Friday. CMC will be ready for a workhorse role vs. the Browns on Sunday.

Pro Football Network's Aaron Wilson hears that 49ers TE George Kittle's groin injury is "serious enough" that he's "unlikely" to play against the Bears this weekend. A source tells Wilson that Kittle is dealing with a Grade 2 strain and that "it would be optimal for him to rest and rehab for a week or two." It certainly makes sense for the 49ers to hold Kittle out of a game vs. Chicago that they can likely win without him. We've removed Kittle from the Week 1 Rankings for now and will continue to keep you updated on his status. Kittle's absence would be good news for the targets outlooks of WRs Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.

The Panthers added RB Christian McCaffrey to the injury report Thursday, but HC Matt Rhule said after practice that he's "fine." McCaffrey reportedly got a cut on 1 of his shins from a teammate's cleat. There doesn't appear to be any concern here.

Niners TE George Kittle suffered a groin injury in Monday's practice that kept him from participating Wednesday, ESPN's Nick Wagoner reports. It's not yet clear whether the issue will keep Kittle from playing in Sunday's opener.

The Athletic's Matt Barrows believes the 49ers are looking for TE George Kittle to block less and be in pass routes more in 2022. "They want to free him to be a pass catcher more often and they want to keep him healthier/fresher than he’s been the last two seasons," Barrows writes, pointing to the addition of TE Tyler Kroft as a key to the plan. "Kittle certainly will have a sizeable blocking role, but with Kroft in the fold that role might not be as consuming as it was last season," says Barrows. More pass-catching work would obviously be good news for Kittle, who remains 1 of the league's most efficient TEs on a per-route basis.