NFL Player News

With the 49ers having traded for Christian McCaffrey, per David Newton of ESPN.com, Wilson is in line to move to a complementary role in the team's offense.

Through six games, Wilson leads the 49ers with 81 carries, but once McCaffrey is up to speed with the team's playbook, he'll be slated to handle the bulk of San Fransisco's backfield touches. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, McCaffrey is a candidate to suit up Sunday against Kansas City and potentially be used in a red-zone package in such a scenario. In that context, Wilson could remain involved in his team's Week 7 rushing attack, but looking ahead, his fantasy utility should taper off in the weeks ahead once McCaffrey's workload increases.

McCaffrey, who is slated to travel to San Francisco on Friday after being traded from the Panthers to the 49ers, is expected to be available for Sunday's game against Kansas City, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The report suggests that McCaffrey -- who was sent to the 49ers for second-, third- and fourth-round picks in 2023 as well as a fifth-rounder in 2024 -- likely will be used in a red-zone package Sunday if he does suit up versus the Chiefs. Beyond Week 7, once McCaffrey is up to speed with his new team's playbook, the dual-threat back should record ample touches in San Francisco's offense, a context that will result in Jeff Wilson (81 carries in six games to date) moving to a complementary role.

Benjamin rushed 12 times for 92 yards and a touchdown while adding four receptions for 21 yards on five targets in the Cardinals' 42-34 win over the Saints on Thursday night.

DeAndre Hopkins' stellar season debut and a pair of pick-sixes by the defense stole the headlines for the Cardinals on Thursday night, but Benjamin's contributions were critical as well. The third-year back got loose for a game-long 45-yard rush that made up nearly half his production, and his five-yard touchdown run just past the midway point of the fourth quarter proved especially important after the Saints went on to score a late touchdown and field goal. Benjamin's impressive showing aside, he'll be set to return to a complementary role if James Conner (ribs) is healthy enough to suit up for a Week 8 road showdown against the Vikings a week from Sunday.

Hubbard will see an increase in carries after Christian McCaffrey was traded Thursday.

Hubbard has been a non-factor through six games this season, managing only six carries. His workload will surely increase after the departure of McCaffrey, though it's unclear how Hubbard and D'Onta Foreman will split work moving forward, as Foreman has 12 carries as opposed to Hubbard's six. If a relatively even split occurs, both Hubbard and Foreman could struggle to post big lines given the current state of the Panthers' offense.

Kamara rushed 11 times for 49 yards and brought in seven of nine targets for 56 yards in the Saints' 42-34 loss to the Cardinals on Thursday night.

Game script helped limit Kamara's rushing touches overall, and he picked up three of his seven catches on the Cardinals' final drive. The versatile back also typically found running room at a premium, as outside of his game-long 17-yard rush, he netted just 32 yards on his 10 other carries. Nevertheless, Kamara did outpace backfield mate Mark Ingram by seven carries and now has 19 receptions over the last three games alone, giving him plenty of upside ahead of a Week 8 home matchup against the Raiders a week from Sunday.

Foreman will likely split carries with Chuba Hubbard for the Panthers after Christian McCaffrey was traded Thursday.

McCaffrey dominated the work out of Carolina's backfield through six games this season, so there will be a significant number of touches available after he was traded to the 49ers. It's unclear whether Foreman or Chuba Hubbard will lead the running backs corps moving forward, as Foreman has seen 12 carries as compared to Hubbard's six. A fairly even split could continue, which would limit the fantasy potential of both backs -- particularly considering the poor state of the Panthers' offense.

McCaffrey was traded by the Panthers to the 49ers in exchange for draft picks Thursday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

McCaffrey had been the subject of trade rumors for much of the preseason, and Carolina's struggles early in the regular season did nothing to quiet those talks. He'll now be headed west to join a San Francisco backfield that had been led by Jeff Wilson to this point in the campaign. Even in an abysmal offense, McCaffrey has managed 393 rushing yards, 277 receiving yards and three total touchdowns through six games. He'll now be in line for a significant upgrade in team context and will be locked in as the lead back for the 49ers.

Benjamin will be the Cardinals' No. 1 running back Thursday versus the Saints with both James Conner (ribs) and Darrel Williams (knee) inactive, Darren Urban of the team's official site reports.

While Benjamin tended to a foot injury this week, following an LP/LP/FP practice regimen Monday through Wednesday, the road has been cleared for him to earn a second straight start in place of Conner. This past Sunday in Seattle, Benjamin handled 87 percent of the offensive snaps on his way to 18 touches for 65 yards from scrimmage. Meanwhile, rookie sixth-rounder Keontay Ingram handled the other 13 percent and earned three carries.

Conner (ribs) is listed as inactive Thursday against the Saints.

Conner thus will miss a second game in a row along with Darrel Williams (knee), leaving the Cardinals backfield in the hands of Eno Benjamin (foot) and, to a lesser extent, rookie sixth-round pick Keaontay Ingram. After Thursday's contest, Arizona doesn't play again until Sunday, Oct. 30 at Minnesota, so Conner will have extra time to get healthy ahead of Week 8 action.

The Cardinals elevated Clement to their active roster Thursday, Darren Urban of the team's official site reports.

With fellow running backs James Conner (ribs) currently listed as questionable and Darrel Williams (knee) ruled out for Thursday's contest versus the Saints, Clement could find himself operating as Arizona's third backfield option in Week 7 behind Eno Benjamin and Keaontay Ingram. The 27-year-old suited up for Sunday's game against the Seahawks but saw just 15 special-teams snaps.