James (ribs) will not play in Thursday's preseason opener against the Titans, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
James fractured his rib in late July and has still not recovered from the issue. Once healthy, the running back will have a chance to earn complementary work behind Christian McCaffrey (undisclosed), though as long as McCaffrey is available this season, he'll be busy, leaving limited touches for his backups. With fellow RB Kaelon Black (thigh) also not participating in Thursday's game, Patrick Taylor, Sincere McCormick, Khalil Herbert and Zamir White are on hand to absorb Thursday's carries in an effort to climb a depth chart littered with injuries before cutdown day.