| | San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel (ankle, knee) was listed as a limited participant in practice on Thursday. It's actually a downgrade from when he was a full participant on Wednesday, but it's likely the team was just giving him a bit of a break heading into the Week 18 regular season finale against the Arizona Cardinals. Samuel hasn't played since Week 14 after suffering a sprained MCL in his left knee and a sprained ankle, but the 26-year-old is trending toward making his return this weekend. The Niners will not push Samuel too hard in his first game back, so fantasy managers should still consider him an extremely risky option for starting lineups in both DFS and season-long leagues. |
| | San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (ankle) didn't participate in practice on Thursday. The same ankle issue that has been bothering him for around a month has held him out of some practices but hasn't stopped him from playing in a game just yet. He did play 85 percent of the offensive snaps for the Niners against the Raiders in Week 17. They can still grab the first overall seed in the NFC in Week 18, so McCaffrey will likely still start when they take on the Arizona Cardinals. |
| | San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (oblique, ribs) was a limited practice participant Thursday. The 23-year-old initially injured his oblique in the Week 14 win over the Bucs but has to miss a game. The oblique injury hasn't slowed the rookie quarterback down, as he's thrown for 735 yards, six touchdowns, and two interceptions over the last three games. Purdy is expected to be available for the regular season finale against the Cardinals and remains a borderline QB1 in Week 18. |
| | San Francisco 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell (knee) is expected to be available for Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals. He was designated to return from injured reserve and was back at practice this week. The 24-year-old has been sidelined since Week 12 with an MCL sprain. Christian McCaffrey (ankle, knee) was held out of Thursday's practice for precautionary reasons. Mitchell has rushed for 224 yards on 40 attempts over four games in 2022. Mitchell would serve as McCaffrey's backup and provide the 49ers RB depth, making him a risky fantasy option for the regular season finale. |
| | San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said that wide receiver Deebo Samuel (ankle, knee) is expected to play in the Week 18 regular season finale on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. Samuel practiced in full on Wednesday but was limited on Thursday, but he's still expected to make his first appearance since getting injured in Week 14. The 26-year-old is returning from a sprained left MCL and a sprained left ankle, so fantasy managers shouldn't necessarily expect a full workload in his first game back. The Niners will prioritize Samuel's health for the postseason first and foremost. There's a good chance he'll be listed as questionable on Friday's final injury report, but Samuel is expected to be active Sunday. He'll be a risky fantasy play. |
| | The San Francisco 49ers will play it safe with running back Christian McCaffrey (ankle, knee) in the Week 18 regular season finale against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. "If he's not right we won't have him out there. Want him right for playoffs. But if healthy he'll play," general manager John Lynch said. McCaffrey missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday and will most likely be listed as questionable on Friday's final injury report if he's able to practice on Friday. The Niners still need to win this weekend and are still in play for the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC, but they won't ride CMC hard if they don't have to. Their priority will be to come out of this game without any injuries to key players like McCaffrey. There's inherent risk in the regular season finale, but if McCaffrey is active, he needs to be in all season-long lineups. |
| | San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel (ankle, knee) has been removed from the Week 18 injury report and is expected to play in the Week 18 regular season finale against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. It will be Samuel's first game action since he sprained his left MCL and sprained his left ankle in Week 14. Because of the long layoff, there's a good chance the Niners take it easy on the 26-year-old and ease him back into the offense to ensure that he's fully healthy entering the postseason. If running back Christian McCaffrey (knee) is limited at all or held out, Samuel's chances for a bigger workload would increase, but he's still a risky fantasy proposition in his first game back in a game the Niners should be able to win easily. |
| | San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (ankle, knee) returned to practice on Friday and has been cleared to play in Week 18 against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. McCaffrey was held out of practice on Wednesday and Thursday, leading to some speculation that he may not play this weekend. The 26-year-old will be active against Arizona, but there's not a guarantee that he'll see his normal heavy workload. The Niners still have a shot at the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC with a win and an Eagles loss, but depending on how things are going on Sunday, CMC could be pulled early. He'll also have more competition for backfield touches with the expected return of Elijah Mitchell (knee), who is coming off Injured Reserve. |