San Francisco 49ers DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

A report earlier on Thursday suggested that San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (Achilles, calf) could miss two more months after visiting with a specialist in Germany this week. However, head coach Kyle Shanahan said later in the day that "we'll probably turn it up here in the next couple of weeks... we'll start testing it out here sooner rather than later." The earliest that McCaffrey can resume practicing with the team will be before the Week 6 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks since he was placed on Injured Reserve before Week 2. Whenever the Niners designate CMC to return from IR, he'll then have three weeks to return to action. An exact timeline for the 28-year-old's return is unclear, but fantasy managers shouldn't expect it to happen in Week 6. In the meantime, Jordan Mason will continue operating as the lead back and will have RB1 upside in fantasy.

Updating a previous report, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (hamstring) sounds like he expects to return this Sunday in Week 4 against the visiting New England Patriots. Kittle said he's "very excited to play football" and is "feeling fantastic." The 30-year-old injured his hamstring in practice last week and was unable to play in the Week 3 loss to the division-rival Los Angeles Rams, but he's been limited in practice for two days so far this week and is apparently trending in the right direction to play this weekend. It's welcome news for quarterback Brock Purdy, who relied almost exclusively on receiver Jauan Jennings last Sunday. Kittle is a must-start TE1 in fantasy if he's back in action, especially with receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. (calf) potentially missing another game. Kittle has 11 catches (13 targets) for 116 yards and a touchdown in his two games played in 2024.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (hamstring) put in a second straight limited practice this week on Thursday. Kittle injured his hamstring in practice last week and could not get cleared to play in the Week 3 loss to the division-rival Los Angeles Rams. While it remains unclear if the 30-year-old will play in Week 4 against the New England Patriots, the fact that he's been on the practice field twice this week give him at least a shot at ending his absence at just one game. If Kittle ends up being active on Sunday, he should be thrown back into starting fantasy lineups everywhere, especially since there's a good chance that receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. (calf) will miss another game. With both Kittle and Samuel out last week, Jauan Jennings went for 175 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Brock Purdy would certainly love to get Kittle back this weekend against an underrated defense.

After seeing a specialist in Germany, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (Achilles, calf) will likely be sidelined for at least a month and "probably closer to a couple of months." It's obvious terrible news for the 49ers and any fantasy managers that took CMC with the first overall pick in fantasy drafts this year. The 28-year-old is currently on Injured Reserve but isn't going to be ready to return for the Niners when he's eligible in Week 5 against the division-rival Arizona Cardinals. When the reigning NFL rushing champion finally does return from his injury, he could also be eased back in so that he doesn't suffer any setbacks. All fantasy managers can do is be patient at this point and hope McCaffrey can regain his pre-injury form when he returns. In the meantime, Jordan Mason is going to continue to be a must-start RB1 in fantasy as San Fran's lead back.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that quarterback Brock Purdy (back) didn't carry an injury designation after practicing in full on Wednesday. Purdy came out of the Week 3 loss to the division-rival Los Angeles Rams with some minor back soreness on Monday, but he appears to be just fine and should be in the clear to start this weekend for a Week 4 matchup against the New England Patriots. The 24-year-old signal-caller displayed why he should be seen as a high-floor fantasy QB after throwing for 292 yards and three touchdowns in the loss to the Rams while being without running back Christian McCaffrey (Achilles, calf), receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. (calf) and tight end George Kittle (hamstring), arguably his top three targets. Purdy could be without all three for a second straight week against an underrated Pats defense. Consider him a low-end QB1/high-end QB2 in Week 4.