49ers HC Kyle Shanahan isn't yet sure whether RB Christian McCaffrey will play vs. the Chiefs on Sunday. "I'm still up in the air whether we're going to be able to get him here for Sunday or not," Shanahan said in a Friday radio appearance. "I know for sure he'll be here the following Sunday. But that's kind of why I'm in a wait-and-see approach right now ... This happened so fast, and we've just got to see where he's at." We'll continue to look for further updates on McCaffrey's Week 7 role (or lack thereof) leading up to Sunday's kickoff.
The Panthers are trading RB Christian McCaffrey to the 49ers, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. It's obviously a big upgrade in terms of supporting cast for McCaffrey. The 49ers rank 19th in points per game and 18th in yards per game, while the Panthers sit 27th in points per game and dead last in yards per game. San Francisco is also a balanced to run-leaning offense, so McCaffrey should see plenty of rushing volume. We do worry a bit about his target volume, though, in an offense that also features Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle. Overall, we'd consider this about a wash for the fantasy value of McCaffrey, who currently sits 4th among RBs in PPR points per game. We'll see if he'll play vs. the Chiefs this weekend. Carolina, meanwhile, is left with a backfield committee of D'Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard in a bad offense. We'll see exactly what that workload split looks like, but neither guy is an exciting fantasy option.
Update: Carolina will receive 2nd-, 3rd- and 4th-round picks in 2023, plus a 5th-rounder in 2024, according to Schefter.
Update: NFL Network's Ian Rapoport calls McCaffrey "likely" to play vs. the Chiefs on Sunday and adds, "expect a red-zone package." We'll see what else we hear about McCaffrey's projected Week 7 role.
Niners S Talanoa Hufanga entered the concussion protocol Monday. HC Kyle Shanahan said Hufanga passed his concussion test during Sunday's loss to the Falcons, and then another after the game, according to 49ers Webzone. But he then had concussion symptoms Monday morning, and a 3rd test placed him in the protocol. Plan on not having Hufanga available for IDP lineups this week. We'll keep an eye on his status.
Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey rushed 13 times for 69 yards and caught 7 of 8 targets for 89 more in Sunday's loss to the Rams. His 158 total yards constituted 77.8% of Carolina's total net yards for the game. No one else on the team collected more than 22 yards. Starting QB P.J. Walker managed just 60 passing yards for the game, with Jacob Eason coming on for 59 more (primarily thanks to a 49-yard completion to McCaffrey). We'll see about Carolina's QB situation for Week 7. D.J. Moore was the only other Panther to see more than 2 targets. He caught 3 of 7 for just 7 yards.
Niners WR Brandon Aiyuk caught 8 balls for 83 yards and 2 TDs among 11 targets in Sunday's loss to the Falcons. Those were the only 2 TDs San Francisco scored. The 49ers won't normally attempt 41 passes, a number that QB Jimmy Garoppolo reached just once last season. But Aiyuk's 26.8% target share led the team. TE George Kittle and WR Deebo Samuel each drew 10 targets. Kittle posted an 8-83 receiving line; Samuel 7-79.
Niners EDGE Nick Bosa (groin) is inactive for today's game against the Falcons.
The Panthers are listening to trade offers for RB Christian McCaffrey, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. But "a deal might not be easy to complete" because the Panthers are prepared to keep McCaffrey for 2023 "if they don't receiver a suitable offer," Schefter adds. Carolina has reportedly already declined 2 offers for McCaffrey. We'd consider a trade unlikely to happen but will track the situation through the November 1 trade deadline. If McCaffrey was dealt, the Panthers would be left with RBs D'Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard.
Niners EDGE Nick Bosa (groin) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Falcons. DL Arik Armstead (foot, ankle) and DT Javon Kinlaw (knee) are out. Bosa missed the week's 1st 2 practices after leaving last week's win over the Panthers early. He returned for a limited Friday workout. We'll check his status Sunday.
49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk snagged 3 of 4 targets for 58 yards in Sunday's win over Carolina. The 3rd-year WR is now at a ho hum 18.6% target share in 3 full games alongside Jimmy Garoppolo. Despite some big-play juice, Aiyuk figures to remain a hot-and-cold WR3 for the foreseeable future. Week 6 turns up a road matchup with Atlanta.
Niners HC Kyle Shanahan says EDGE Nick Bosa has a groin strain, according to ESPN's Nick Wagoner. He'll be re-evaluated Wednesday, we assume to determine whether Bosa will be ready to practice and/or play this week. We'll watch for further updates, but it continues to sound like a minor injury.
49ers TE George Kittle showed progress with 5 catches for 47 yards in Week 5 at Carolina. He made a few impressive contested catches, although he did lose one fumble. His 6 targets ranked 2nd on the team and represented a decent 20% team share. The veteran entered Sunday with only 50 yards on 6 catches across his first 2 appearances. A low-volume passing game will keep the volatility high going forward, but we’re still likely to see some spike weeks soon. Week 6 turns up a positive scoring matchup at Atlanta.
49ers WR Deebo Samuel mustered only 2 catches for 20 yards in Week 5. He added a score, but the story here was strong coverage from CB Jaycee Horn, who eventually departed in the 3rd quarter with a hip injury. Samuel handled only 2 carries (for 12 yards) and witnessed a sharp decline in his backfield snaps. Starting in Week 1, his RB snaps have gone: 9, 11, 8, 8, 1. Samuel will look for more in a positive Week 6 matchup at Atlanta.
The Panthers fired HC Matt Rhule. His former team is sitting at 1-4 after going 10-23 over his first 2 seasons. Carolina's ranks in total yards: 21st, 30th and 32nd. Defensive Pass Game Coordinator/Secondary Coach Steve Wilks will take over as interim HC, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. He was HC for the Cardinals' 3-13 2018 season. It sounds like OC Ben McAdoo will be sticking around. We're not expecting the change to help Carolina's floundering offense (although it can't hurt).
Niners EDGE Nick Bosa left at halftime of Sunday's win over the Panthers with a groin issue. Here's what HC Kyle Shanahan said afterward, according to ESPN.com: "He started feeling it, it was a little tight all day. In the 2nd quarter, you could see him coming off the field. We looked into it at halftime -- he didn't feel like he could go." The team expects to test the injury further on Monday, but it doesn't sound like it's believed to be serious. We'll watch for updates.
49ers WR Deebo Samuel tallied 6 catches for 115 yards and 1 score in Week 4. He was nearly shutout on the ground (2 carries, 2 yards) but made his night with a 57-yard TD where he broke several tackles. Going back to 2021, Samuel’s now scored 5 TDs of 40+ yards. Next up is a road matchup with Carolina.
49ers TE George Kittle managed only 24 yards on 2 catches in a Week 4 win over the Rams. His 4 targets tied for 2nd on the team and represented a lackluster 14.8% share. Kittle nearly scored, but he couldn’t quite get his 2nd foot down in bounds. So, we’re looking at 2 duds in 2 appearances for the veteran. He at least ran a route on ~86% of Jimmy Garoppolo’s dropbacks — but clearly, we’re headed for volatility with the run-heavy 49ers.
Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey entered Sunday questionable with a thigh injury he had to test pregame. But he wound up with normal playing time and 17 of the 18 RB opportunities for Carolina in the loss to the Cardinals. McCaffrey managed only 27 yards on 8 rushes but caught all 9 of his targets for 81 yards and a TD. D'Onta Foreman got the only other RB touch: a 2-yard run. He played 4 snaps to Chuba Hubbard's 3.
Raiders CB Rock Ya-Sin is inactive for today's game against the Broncos.
Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey (thigh) is active for today’s game vs. the Cardinals. He carries elevated risk after getting in just a limited practice on Friday. But if you were waiting on him, get McCaffrey into your fantasy lineup.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler hears that the Panthers are "optimistic" about RB Christian McCaffrey's availability for today's game vs. the Cardinals but that he'll need to test that injured quad in pre-game warmups before a final decision is made. "One key in that test will be going full speed, which he didn’t do much of in practices," Fowler adds. Cardinals-Panthers kicks off at 4:05 pm ET, so we won't get Carolina's inactives until a little after 2:30.
Search
