Kyle Shanahan said Monday that Christian McCaffrey is dealing with a mild hamstring strain after the Week 7 loss at Atlanta, but he should be fine after San Francisco's bye in Week 8. It's a good idea to stash Black in all leagues for at least 10 percent of your remaining FAAB just in case McCaffrey is forced to miss any time. He left the game but returned against the Falcons, and Black had 12 carries for 63 yards and a touchdown and one catch for minus-4 yards on three targets. Black would be a must-start running back in all leagues if McCaffrey were to miss any time, and the 49ers get Las Vegas in Week 9 and Dallas in Week 10 after the bye.
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49ers' Kaelon Black: Efficient with expanded opportunity
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Black rushed 12 times for 63 yards and a touchdown and brought in one of three targets for minus-4 yards in the 49ers' 29-20 loss to the Falcons on Sunday. He also returned one kickoff for 34 yards.
Christian McCaffrey suffered a thigh injury in the opening period that eventually led to him missing the entire second quarter, affording Black expanded opportunity. The rookie made good use of the extra touches, averaging a career-high 5.3 yards per carry and recording his highest rushing yardage total since his Week 1 NFL debut. Black also rang up his first TD as a professional, a 30-yard breakaway run on the first play of the second quarter. McCaffrey did return to the game for the second half and now has the Week 8 bye to recover, so Black could be back to a more reduced role in a Week 9 home matchup against the Raiders on Sunday, Nov. 8.
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49ers' Kaelon Black: Nine touches in Week 6 win
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Black rushed eight times for 34 yards and brought in his only target for three yards in the 49ers' 23-17 win over the Commanders on Monday night.
Black logged half as many carries as Christian McCaffrey and a whopping nine fewer targets, cementing the pecking order in the 49ers' ground attack. However, Black is getting some nice complementary run as a rookie, as he's logged 45 carries over his first six games. Black has just three targets in that same span, however, so his fantasy upside will remain capped to a large degree in a Week 7 road matchup against the Falcons on Sunday.
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49ers' Kaelon Black: Misses practice Saturday, will play Monday
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Black was excused from Saturday's practice to address a personal matter but does not have an injury designation for Monday's Week 6 matchup against Washington, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
Since Black wasn't given an injury designation, his absence from practice Saturday isn't expected to impact his availability Monday. The rookie should thus continue to work as the 49ers' No.2 running back behind Christian McCaffrey. That role hasn't yielded much fruit for Black of late, however, as he's totaled fewer than 20 yards in each of his past three contests.
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49ers' Kaelon Black: Back to full practice Thursday
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Black (illness) upgraded to a full practice Thursday, Harrison Rich of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Black was limited Wednesday but appears to be fine ahead of Sunday's Week 5 date with the Seahawks. The rookie running back has plodded to 2.5 yards per carry over the last three weeks and is merely a bench stash in fantasy as Christian McCaffrey's top backup.
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49ers' Kaelon Black: Inefficient in Week 4 win
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Black turned six carries into 13 yards during the 49ers' 24-14 win over the Broncos on Sunday.
Black's longest carry of the day went for five yards, with four of his other touches going for two yards or fewer. With Christian McCaffrey clearly leading the backfield, Black's workload will be volatile on a week-to-week basis and dependant on game script. The 49ers will hit the road for Week 5 in an NFC West showdown against the 3-1 Seahawks.
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49ers' Kaelon Black: Sees workload dip vs. Arizona
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Black turned four carries into 17 yards and failed to haul in his lone target during the 49ers' 36-30 win over the Cardinals on Sunday.
Black accumulated 95 scrimmage yards on 22 touches through the first two games of the regular season and was a regular rotational piece in the offense behind Christian McCaffrey. However, Black observed most of Sunday's game from the sidelines, seeing the field for only eight of the 49ers' 54 offensive snaps (14.8 percent) compared to McCaffrey's 45 snaps. Keeping McCaffrey healthy is a top priority for the 49ers, so Black figures to see more playing time moving forward in order to preserve the former's workload. The 49ers will remain home for Week 4 to host the Broncos this Sunday.
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49ers' Kaelon Black: Seven touches to CMC's 14
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Black (groin) rushed seven times for 25 yards and wasn't targeted in Sunday's 35-13 win over the Dolphins.
Black suited up for his second NFL contest after being listed as questionable coming into the game. He actually had two more rushing yards than Christian McCaffrey, but McCaffrey scored two touchdowns on 10 carries and added four catches for 43 yards. Black is poised to continue splitting the rushing workload with CMC in Week 3 against the Cardinals, though McCaffrey remains the preferred option in valuable goal-line and passing situations.
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49ers' Kaelon Black: Active as expected Sunday
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Black (groin) is active for Sunday's Week 2 matchup against the Dolphins, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
The rookie running back was reported to be trending up for Sunday's contest earlier Sunday, and his availability now has been made official. Black will therefore once again serve as the primary backup to Christian McCaffrey, a role that afforded the former 15 touches (14 carries, one reception) across 28 snaps in a Week 1 win over the Rams in Melbourne, Australia.
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49ers' Kaelon Black: On track to play Sunday
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Black (groin) is on track to play Sunday against the Dolphins, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Black popped up on Thursday's injury report as a limited participant due to a groin injury, and he was given a questionable designation after getting in another limited session Friday. While there is reason to believe he will take the field Sunday, his availability will not be confirmed until the 49ers release their inactives 90 minutes before Sunday's 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff.
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49ers' Kaelon Black: Questionable for Sunday
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Black (groin) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Dolphins, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
Black made a surprise appearance on Thursday's practice report as limited due to a groin issue, and he wasn't able to do enough Friday to enter the weekend without a designation for Week 2 action. His status may not be confirmed until about 90 minutes before Sunday's 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff, but if Black is inhibited or sidelined, Jordan James would be the primary reserve RB behind starter Christian McCaffrey.
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49ers' Kaelon Black: Added to injury report
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Black was limited at Thursday's practice due to a groin injury, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Black did not show up on Wednesday's injury report, but he was unable to get a full session in a day later. The extent of his injury is uncertain, but his status will be updated again Friday when the 49ers release their final report before Sunday's matchup with the Dolphins.
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49ers' Kaelon Black: Stands out in regular-season debut
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Black rushed 14 times for 65 yards and brought in his only target for five yards during the 49ers' 27-7 Week 1 win over the Rams in Melbourne, Australia.
The rookie third-round pick opened the season as Christian McCaffrey's primary backup, but he actually ended up outpacing his star backfield mate by four carries as the 49ers progressively took control in the second half. Black earned the touches with multiple productive runs that showed off his explosiveness, and his ability to help keep McCaffrey fresh throughout the game should only help lead to more opportunities for the first-year back going forward. Black garnered the No. 2 job thanks to an impressive two-game preseason where he performed similarly to Week 1, lending credence to the notion the Indiana product could maintain his fantasy relevance, particularly in deeper formats, as his first NFL season unfolds.
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49ers' Kaelon Black: Averages 7.0 yards per carry
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Black rushed four times for 28 yards and failed to bring in his only target in the 49ers' 18-12 preseason win over the Raiders on Thursday.
Black didn't log a touch on the 49ers' opening three-and-out possession, but he gained 11 yards on back-to-back carries to start San Francisco's second drive. The rookie third-round pick then recorded his game-high 14 yard run on the last play of the first quarter, rounding out his relatively brief night in encouraging fashion. Black put together a solid two-game preseason during which he rushed 12 times for 61 yards, but his primary competition for the No. 2 running back role, Jordan James, had a productive night himself Thursday with 55 yards from scrimmage on nine touches. Consequently, it's possible the two backs share complementary work behind Christian McCaffrey (undisclosed) to open the regular season.
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49ers' Kaelon Black: Logs eight carries in preseason win
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Black rushed eight times for 33 yards and wasn't targeted in the 49ers' 41-17 preseason win over the Chargers on Thursday night.
The rookie third-round pick operated as the starting running back with Christian McCaffrey (undisclosed) inactive, and Black immediately recorded a five-yard gain on the 49ers' first play from scrimmage. The Indiana product also had eight- and nine-yard runs on San Francisco' second possession as he continued to make a strong case for the No. 2 job to open the regular season. Black saw backfield mate Sincere McCormick put together an impressive 6-53-1 line on the ground Thursday as well, but the former likely has the inside track to serve as McCaffrey's primary backup in a backfield where Jordan James (ribs) and Isaac Guerendo (PUP-pectoral) are also vying for roles.
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49ers' Kaelon Black: Shines in return to practice
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Black (thigh) looked like himself at Tuesday's practice, Grant Cohn of SI.com reports.
Black has been sidelined since Aug. 3 due to an adductor injury, but his return to the practice field Tuesday was a welcome sight for an RB room that currently is without Christian McCaffrey (undisclosed), Jordan James (ribs) and Isaac Guerendo (pectoral, active/PUP). Black, a rookie third-round pick, now is the top healthiest player at the position ahead of Patrick Taylor, Sincere McCormick and Zamir White on the 49ers roster.
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49ers' Kaelon Black: Returns to practice
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Black (thigh) is back in uniform for Tuesday's practice session, Matt Barrows of The Athletic
This is significant for the rookie, as Black had been sidelined since the first week of camp due to an adductor injury. Black is jockeying for position in the 49ers' backfield behind Christian McCaffrey and has to make up for lost time. Any ability to show some flash over the remainder of the preseason would help Black's case for playing time versus Jordan James (ribs) and Patrick Taylor.
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49ers' Kaelon Black: Not participating in Thursday's contest
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Black (thigh) will not play in Thursday's preseason opener against the Titans, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
Black is competing for one of the relief running back roles behind Christian McCaffrey (undisclosed), so the sooner the 2026 third-rounder gets back on the field, the better. With primary competition Jordan James (ribs) also out for Thursday's game, Patrick Taylor, Sincere McCormick, Khalil Herbert and Zamir White will get a chance to prove they should be in the conversation for spots on the 53-man roster.
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49ers' Kaelon Black: Opportunity knocks
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Black has an opportunity to handle the bulk of No. 2 running back role behind Christian McCaffrey early in training camp after Jordan James suffered a fractured rib on Tuesday, David Lombardi of SFStandard.com reports.
Black will look to make the most of his immediate opportunities at camp, with Vic Tafur of The Athletic noting that the rookie third-rounder had already gotten off to a strong start. While James should still be ready in advance of Week 1, his grasp on the No. 2 backfield role could lessen if Black is able to continue stringing together momentum. Isaac Guerendo (pectoral) also began training camp on the active/PUP list, leaving Patrick Taylor and Sincere McCormick as Black's main current competition for reps. Given these developments, Black's average fantasy draft position will figure to rise in advance of the preseason.
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49ers' Kaelon Black: In RB2 mix behind CMC
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Black is set to compete with recent draft picks Jordan James and Isaac Guerendo for backup touches behind Christian McCaffrey, Grant Gordon of NFL.com reports.
Black was viewed by many as a reach in the third round, though 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan defended the pick by saying the team viewed Black as the second-best running back in the 2026 Draft class behind third overall pick Jeremiyah Love. San Francisco hasn't had much success drafting running backs in recent years and has yet to get much production out of James (a 2025 fifth-round pick) or Guerendo (a 2024 fourth-round pick). McCaffrey remains the team's undisputed lead back while healthy.
