McKinnon tears ACL

NBC Sports' Matt Maiocco believes Jerick McKinnon is in line to be the 49ers' passing-down back in 2020. "McKinnon gives the 49ers something they previously lacked: A legitimate route-runner and third-down option out of the backfield," Maiocco writes. "If he’s healthy, McKinnon will have a spot on the team." Injuries have prevented McKinnon from playing a single game for the 49ers since they signed him ahead of the 2018 campaign. But San Francisco restructured his deal this offseason and evidently still has plans for him. McKinnon caught 94 balls over his final 2 seasons in Minnesota. Maiocco adds that Matt Breida is the 49ers RB most likely to be off the roster come Week 1.

The 49ers have opted to place RB Jerick McKinnon (knee) on season-ending injured reserve, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. That leaves Tevin Coleman and Matt Breida as the team's clear top 2 RBs. Raheem Mostert is 3rd on the depth chart.

The 49ers are placing RB Jerick McKinnon (knee) on IR, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. It's unclear if McKinnon has a shot to play the 2nd half of the season as a designated-to-return player. Rapoport hears that McKinnon might have had another procedure on that troublesome knee. We'll keep an eye on him, but McKinnon isn't worth stashing in fantasy leagues that don't have an IR spot. RBs Tevin Coleman (5.09) and Matt Breida (8.02) are both worth considering at ADP.

49ers GM John Lynch suggested in a Wednesday radio interview that RB Jerick McKinnon suffered another setback in his return from last year's torn ACL. "It’s a real bummer," Lynch said. "He keeps getting to the final step. We did it a month ago and he kinda regressed and yesterday we had a similar situation." McKinnon is basically a full year removed from his injury and still can't string together multiple practices without trouble. He won't be an early-season fantasy factor and, at this point, is only worth rostering in the deepest of redraft leagues.

49ers RB Jerick McKinnon (knee) returned to practice on Tuesday. He made it just a couple of days in early August before experiencing discomfort in his surgically repaired knee. We'll see if he's truly good to go now. But he's the clear #3 on the depth chart at this point behind Tevin Coleman and Matt Breida. McKinnon is no more than a late-round flier in fantasy drafts.