NFL Player News

Brooks (groin) was in uniform for Friday's practice, his third straight session, Mike Kaye of ESPN.com reports.

With Brooks having now been present for three consecutive practices, he's trending in the right direction for Sunday's opener against the Bears. Assuming no setbacks, he should split backfield work with Chuba Hubbard, who remains the favorite to start and has been a full practice participant all week.

Tucker (hamstring) is practicing Friday, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.

Tucker returned to practice Thursday as a limited participant. Another appearance Friday gives him a chance to play Sunday at Cincinnati, though it's unclear if he'll be involved on offense or mostly just handling kick returns.

Love (ankle) is expected to play Sunday against the Chargers, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

Love managed limited practice participation Wednesday and Thursday, so a full practice Friday would go a long way toward giving his fantasy managers confidence. It's not yet clear if the practice upgrade will happen, but Love apparently is expected to play in any case. It's also not clear how backfield work will be divided between the rookie and Tyler Allgeier.

Corum rushed 10 times for 54 yards and wasn't targeted during the Rams' 27-7 Week 1 loss to the 49ers in Melbourne, Australia.

Corum's backfield mate Kyren Williams worked as the starting running back and logged his first carry on the Rams' second play from scrimmage, but Corum garnered his first touch to start Los Angeles' second drive and ripped off a nine-yard run. The third-year pro would go on to outpace Williams by 13 rushing yards on one fewer carry, although Corum's lack of a pass-game role was a disappointment. Nevertheless, it appears preseason talk about an even closer division of labor between the two backs this season could have some credibility as a Week 2 home matchup against the Giants on Monday night, Sept. 21 approaches.

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.

Williams rushed 11 times for 41 yards and a touchdown and brought in all three targets for 24 yards during the Rams' 27-7 Week 1 loss to the 49ers in Melbourne, Australia.

Williams worked in what was just one carry short of an even timeshare with Blake Corum in terms of rushing work, outpacing the latter by that one rush attempt and gaining 13 fewer yards in the process. However, Williams was the only one of the two to have a pass-game role, and he was the sole Rams player to cross the goal line in an alarmingly poor performance by the offense via a five-yard power run on the first play of the second quarter. It remains to be seen if the Week 1 division of labor will have staying power, with the next opportunity to see how matters play out coming in a Week 2 home matchup against the Giants on Monday night, Sept. 21.

McCaffrey rushed 10 times for 68 yards and brought in five of eight targets for 20 yards during the 49ers' 27-7 Week 1 win over the Rams in Melbourne, Australia.

Coming off a 2025 regular season where he was able to suit up for all 17 games while handling 413 total touches, McCaffrey saw a notable workload reduction to open the new campaign. Rookie third-round pick Kaelon Black actually outpaced McCaffrey by four carries, but it was the latter who edged out his new backfield mate for the team lead in rushing yards. McCaffrey flashed his trademark explosiveness when carrying the ball and should still helm the ground attack on the majority of weeks, although lopsided game scripts in either direction could lead to head coach Kyle Shanahan taking the opportunity to curtail his star running back's volume. McCaffrey will next take aim at what is expected to be a vulnerable Dolphins defense in a Week 2 matchup on Sunday, Sept. 20.

Kiner turned six carries into 11 yards during Wednesday night's 13-10 loss to the Seahawks.

Kiner operated as the Patriots' No. 2 running back behind starter Rhamondre Stevenson with TreVeyon Henderson (ankle) unavailable. Kiner was on the field for eight of the team's 71 total offensive snaps, with Stevenson (60) handling the lion's share. If Henderson is sidelined again in Week 2, Kiner will likely operate in a similar role against the Steelers.

Larison reverted to New England's practice squad Thursday, per the NFL's transaction log.

Larison was elevated for Wednesday's season-opening loss to Seattle and logged three offensive snaps, catching both of his targets for nine yards. The 24-year-old also returned two kickoffs for 49 yards. Larison's opportunity came as a result of TreVeyon Henderson (ankle) missing Wednesday's contest, and Henderson's status for Week 2 will likely factor into Larison's likelihood of being elevated for that game. Even if Larison gets elevated again, though, he'll likely continue to work behind Rhamondre Stevenson (60 snaps Wednesday) and Corey Kiner (eight).

James (coach's decision) is officially inactive for Thursday's game against the Rams, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The 2025 fifth-rounder will not suit up in Week 1, leaving Christian McCaffrey and rookie third-rounder Kaelon Black as the only healthy running backs active for the 49ers on Thursday. James' role moving forward may depend on how effective Black is to start the season.