San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan Mason made his case to enter 2024 as the team's primary backup by leading all rushers in Friday night's preseason 24-24 tie with the Las Vegas Raiders. The third-year undrafted Georgia Tech product took eight carries for 42 yards, including a four-yard touchdown. He also caught one of two targets for seven yards. Mason is locked into a positional battle with the incumbent but banged-up Elijah Mitchell, rookies Isaac Guerendo and Cody Schrader, as well as veteran Matt Breida. It would seem that Mitchell would have the inside track for the job behind Christian McCaffrey after spending the better part of a season-and-a-half occupying the position. However, Mason showed much more burst in 2023, averaging 5.2 YPC to Mitchell's 3.7 YPC. Guerendo didn't do much to leapfrog Mason, gaining 10 fewer yards in three more carries than Mason, though Guerendo did have an impressive kick return for a near-touchdown. Fantasy managers looking for Christian McCaffrey's handcuff will have to speculate or wait until the situation becomes clearer.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy shook off a bit more rust in a 24-24 preseason tie at the Las Vegas Raiders. The 24-year-old completed nine of twelve pass attempts for 96 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception. He was sacked once and took one carry for a 14-yard gain. Overall, Purdy looked better than he did last week versus New Orleans while he took the offensive snaps in the first three San Francisco possessions on Friday night. Purdy showed rapport with fellow starters, involving Deebo Samuel and George Kittle for five of his nine completions, albeit against Las Vegas' third unit. The interception is better attributed to an excellent defensive play than any mistake by Purdy as Sam Webb deflected a frozen rope intended for a slanting Samuel, which landed in Chris Smith II's hands. The real mistake Purdy made on the play was throwing his head at Smith II's legs in a successful -- but meaningless -- attempt to end the return. Luckily, he wasn't hurt. Purdy will begin his 2024 season on September 9 against the New York Jets on the QB1/2 border for fantasy.

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said on Thursday that "there's really not a lot of updates. We've continued to be in communication. Nothing to report there," when asked for an update on the ongoing situation with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots have all been mentioned as potential trade partners with the Niners for Aiyuk this summer. The Patriots dropped out a while ago, though, and the Steelers' recent extension offer to Aiyuk caused him to head back to the negotiating table with the 49ers. With two weeks remaining until the start of the regular season, it's more likely that Aiyuk either signs an extension to stay in San Fran or plays in 2024 on his fifth-year option. The 26-year-old former first-rounder is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and 15 total TDs, and his fantasy value would be highest as a low-end WR1 if he sticks with the 49ers.

San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan Mason (hip) made his return to training camp practice on Wednesday after sitting out last weekend's preseason game against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday with hip soreness. In addition to Mason, the Niners also got Elijah Mitchell (hamstring) and rookie Isaac Guerendo (hamstring) back at practice this week, leaving just Christian McCaffrey (calf) sitting out. McCaffrey has been working out on side fields and remains on track to be ready for the Week 1 regular-season opener, so the 25-year-old Mason will be competing with Mitchell for the RB2 role in the final two weeks of camp. It's unclear how many RBs the Niners will carry on the initial 53-man roster, but Mason's special teams contributions could be the deciding factor. The power runner has averaged 5.6 yards per carry in his two NFL seasons but is mostly just a dynasty/keeper stash until he has a more clear role.

San Francisco 49ers running backs Elijah Mitchell (hamstring), Isaac Guerendo (hamstring) and Patrick Taylor Jr. (undisclosed) have all returned to training camp practices in the last two days. The only Niners running back out of practice still is starter Christian McCaffrey (calf), but he's been doing heavy work on the side. Mitchell will now try to hold off Jordan Mason for the RB2 role in San Fran. Although McCaffrey will end up missing the entire preseason, the 49ers aren't worried that he'll miss the start of the regular season. The 26-year-old former sixth-rounder in 2021 out of Louisiana would become a weekly fantasy option if CMC were to miss extended time, but Mitchell has battled injury issues of his own in his three years in the NFL and has played in a total of 27 games (12 starts) since entering the league. Guerendo is behind in his development heading into his rookie year, but he, too, could be a threat to Mitchell's spot on the depth chart eventually in 2024.