San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan Mason had a standout performance in place of the injured Christian McCaffrey (calf, Achilles) during Monday night's game against the New York Jets. With McCaffrey ruled out before the game, Mason seized the opportunity, rushing 28 times for 147 yards and one touchdown. Although Mason entered the game with only 83 career carries over two seasons, he has consistently shown potential, averaging 6.0 yards per carry as a rookie and 5.2 yards per carry in 2023. Mason exploited openings effectively throughout the game, supported by the robust 49ers offensive line and a strategic game plan from head coach Kyle Shanahan. Mason should be a top priority on the waiver wire this week. If McCaffrey is sidelined again next week, Mason would be a must-start. Even if McCaffrey returns, Mason remains a valuable handcuff for the rest of the season.

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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. delivered a solid all-around performance in the team's Week 1 win over the New York Jets. Samuel totaled 77 yards from scrimmage and scored a rushing touchdown, with five receptions for 54 yards and eight carries for 23 yards. He also attempted a pass that resulted in a four-yard sack. With star running back Christian McCaffrey (calf/Achilles) sidelined, Samuel and backup Jordan Mason stepped up to help secure San Francisco's first win of the 2024 season. Samuel remains a top fantasy option, whether as a receiver or a running back, as the 49ers prepare to take on the Vikings in Week 2.

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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy had a solid outing in leading his team to a decisive victory over the New York Jets on Sunday night. Purdy completed 19 of 29 passes for 231 yards and did not record any touchdowns or turnovers. The Jets' defense, missing edge rusher Haason Reddick due to a holdout, failed to apply significant pressure. The 49ers took control of the game by halftime, allowing Purdy to focus on game management rather than pushing for big plays. San Francisco dominated possession, holding the ball for 38 minutes and 40 seconds and scoring on eight offensive drives before taking a knee on their final possession. The 49ers ran 70 plays compared to the Jets' 49. As the season progresses, expect Purdy to deliver higher-scoring performances, with his next opportunity coming against the Vikings on Sunday.

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San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan clarified that running back Christian McCaffrey's (calf) injury did not involve a setback but was simply too bothersome for him to play effectively on Sunday. Despite practicing all week, McCaffrey's calf issue has been intermittent and proved too troublesome for this game. During the ESPN postgame interview, Jordan Mason mentioned he was informed on Friday night that he would be starting, but Shanahan corrected this, stating that Mason was only told he would likely see significant playing time and didn't confirm the starting role until the day of the game. Shanahan addressed the situation to prevent any potential league repercussions. The excellent news is McCaffrey did not suffer a setback, and he will have six days to recover before the 49ers face the Vikings in Week 2. McCaffrey remains a must-start if available, while Mason is his top backup and must start if McCaffrey is sidelined again.

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Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle didn't have the best start to his 2024 season. The 26-year-old was expected to split up the touches with veteran Ezekiel Elliott during Sunday's season opener. The two of them did split up the carries, but Dowdle failed to do much with them. He rushed eight times for 26 yards while hauling in one reception for six yards in the blowout win. Elliott didn't do much better on the ground with 40 yards, but he was able to find the end zone. The expectation is that these two will continue to split up the job until one of them pulls away with it. That being said, Dowdle should still have some streaming value in Week 2, but he has lost some appeal after that lackluster start.

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Green Bay Packers quarterback Sean Clifford is set to be the backup option for the Week 2 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. It was uncertain who was going to start for the Packers with Jordan Love (ankle) facing a multiple week absence. Head coach Matt LaFleur cleared that up on Monday by naming Malik Willis the starter for Week 2. He also mentioned that Clifford is set to back him up, so he'll be elevated from the practice squad. Normally, someone becoming the backup isn't noteworthy, but this case is a little different. Willis has only been with the Packers for a few weeks and has yet to prove himself at the professional level. Clifford has been with the Packers for a full season and he should know the offensive scheme fairly well. It wouldn't be shocking to see the Packers turn to Clifford if Willis fails to impress them. Fantasy managers don't need to be jumping at the waiver wire to grab the former fifth-round pick. However, it wouldn't be shocking if Clifford does get snaps at some point in the next few weeks. Neither quarterback is going to be a viable fantasy option in most formats.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed safety Terrell Edmunds on Monday. The former first-round pick has been snagged by Pittsburgh off the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad. Edmunds did suit up for the Jaguars in Week 1, but he only saw a handful of snaps. This is a welcoming sight for Edmunds as he played his first five years of his career with the Steelers. The 27-year-old was a full-time starter then, but now he figures to serve as depth in the secondary. This is a low-risk move for Pittsburgh as Edmunds could end up being a legitimate help on the defensive side of the ball as the season goes on.

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Miami Dolphins linebacker Jaelan Phillips (Achilles) was a limited participant during Monday's practice. This doesn't comes as much of a shock after Phillips was on a snap count during the season opener. The Dolphins don't want to push anything with Phillips dealing with a serious injury. He played 33 snaps on Sunday and recorded one sack and two tackles during his time on the field. The expectation is that Phillips will be on a snap count again with the short week. The Dolphins host the Buffalo Bills on Thursday, so Phillips doesn't have a ton of time to get back to full speed. The former first-round pick should give this defense a nice boost once he's back to full health.

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Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (abdomen) looked good on the field during the season opener against the Denver Broncos on Sunday. Walker rushed for over 100 yards, but also picked up an injury in the fourth quarter. This doesn't sound like an injury that is going to sideline Walker for a lengthy amount of time. Head coach Mike Macdonald said on Monday that the team doesn't have much of an update on his status, but they're taking it day-by-day. Walker said he was fine after Sunday's game, but we'll see if the Seahawks limit him at all during practice this week. For now, fantasy managers should expect Walker to be fine in time for the Week 2 matchup against the New England Patriots.

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Dynasty | The Rams have placed wide receiver Puka Nacua on injured reserve. Dynasty Analysis: Uh oh. Nacua will now miss at least the next four weeks and we won't see him until week seven at the earliest after the Rams have their bye week - this means dynasty managers will be without him until at least October 20th, a brutal blow to just about any dynasty franchise this year. Cooper Kupp will soak up a massive amount of targets and dynasty managers need to plan accordingly. As for Nacua, this is a short-term issue and won't affect anything other than his short-term outlook.

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Dynasty | Free agent wide receiver Kadarius Toney has signed with the Cleveland Browns. Dynasty Analysis: Toney will start his Cleveland tenure on the practice squad but certainly intends to be elevated to the active roster in short order. This is a decent landing spot for Toney, who also visited Seattle in the last few days. Toney has little dynasty value at the moment but he's certainly worth watching as the weeks move forward.

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Dynasty | Deshaun Watson has been named in a civil lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault in 2020. Dynasty Analysis: As if the week couldn't get worse for Watson, who was putrid in Cleveland's season opener. This case will simply be added to the mound of 25 (yes, 25) different civil lawsuits that have come his way. Watson has settled 23 of those thus far. The NFL will monitor the situation and it may be unlikely he faces further discipline since he's already been punished for the other large group of lawsuits. Regardless, this is yet another red flag against Watson, whose career looks to be spiraling down the tubes since his trade to Cleveland. Stay tuned.

From Dynasty League Fantasy

Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Tyson Campbell (hamstring) is set to miss some time after getting injured in the Week 1 season-opening loss in Miami to the Dolphins on Sunday, according to head coach Doug Pederson. When asked if Campbell could be back in time for a trip to London in Week 6, Pederson said he didn't want to put any kind of timeline on his return. We don't have any idea just yet how many weeks the 24-year-old will have to miss, but either way, it's a serious blow to Jacksonville's secondary, as Campbell came into the year as their top corner. For the foreseeable future, the Jags will have to turn to some combination of Deantre Prince and Montaric Brown in the starting lineup, beginning in Week 2 at home against the Cleveland Browns. Campbell, a second-round pick in 2021 out of Georgia, had 145 solo tackles, six interceptions and 30 pass breakups in 43 games (42 starts) in his first three seasons.

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New York Jets running back Israel Abanikanda is a healthy scratch for the team's Week 1 regular-season opener at Levi's Stadium on Monday night against the San Francisco 49ers. Abanikanda enters the 2024 season as the team's RB4 behind starter and bell-cow Breece Hall and rookies Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis. As such, the 21-year-old is obviously off the fantasy radar in most single-year leagues for the time being unless injuries push him into a relevant game-day role. The former fifth-round pick out of Pittsburgh last year was also buried on the depth chart in his rookie season and finished with 22 carries for 70 yards while catching seven passes for 43 yards in only six games. Abanikanda has breakaway speed but is once again buried on the depth chart and will have to wait for his opportunity beyond Week 1.

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New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore (hamstring) is dealing with a minor hamstring injury that he suffered in the Week 1 blowout win over the Carolina Panthers, according to a source. Lattimore said he wasn't concerned about his injury, but it's still in question whether he'll be able to suit up in Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys on the road to potentially try and shut down receiver CeeDee Lamb. The 28-year-old left the game in the second half on Sunday and never returned, and his status for Week 2 will ultimately come down to how much he can practice later this week. If Lattimore doesn't play this weekend, it will make the Saints' underrated defense much more vulnerable against one of the best receivers in the league. Expect rookie Kool-Aid McKinstry to see his role increase dramatically against Dallas if Lattimore is eventually ruled out.

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San Francisco 49ers safety Talanoa Hufanga (knee) is officially inactive for the Week 1 regular-season opener on Monday night versus the New York Jets. Hufanga suffered a torn ACL late last year and was listed as doubtful for this week's game, so fantasy managers in IDP leagues should have already had the 24-year-old defensive back on their benches. Hufanga is no lock to make his 2024 debut in Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings, either, and he very well could be eased into a full-time role again when he does find his way back onto the field. The Niners' already strong defense/special teams will remain a must-start on a weekly basis for however long Hufanga is out. When healthy, Hufanga is a ball-hawking defensive back worth holding onto in IDP leagues. George Odom could start in his place on Monday.

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The San Francisco 49ers lifted All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams' roster exemption and he is active for the Week 1 contest on Monday night against the visiting New York Jets. Williams was in a contract holdout all during training camp over the summer, but he and the 49ers agreed to a new contract last Tuesday, so he's been back with the team ever since and is ready to go for the regular-season opener. The 36-year-old's conditioning could very well be less than par after being away from the team for all that time, but his presence on the field at Levi's Stadium is certainly a plus for quarterback Brock Purdy and the entire San Fran offense, which will be without star running back Christian McCaffrey (calf, Achilles) on Monday. The 49ers' offensive line will need all the help they can get to slow down New York's vaunted pass rush.

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The initial belief is that Chicago Bears rookie first-round wide receiver Rome Odunze (knee) suffered a Grade 1 knee sprain in the Week 1 season-opening victory over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. Odunze will seek a second opinion after undergoing an MRI exam on Monday, but this is a best-case scenario for the talented rookie pass-catcher. For now, the 22-year-old is being considered week-to-week, but fantasy managers should probably already be expecting him to sit out in Week 2 versus the Houston Texans on the road. In addition to his injury, Odunze had a very quiet NFL debut against Tennessee, catching just one of his four targets for an 11-yard gain. The future is bright for Odunze, but it was always going to be an uphill battle in terms of target load in his rookie season. For any time that Odunze misses, DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and tight end Cole Kmet will likely benefit the most.

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With the San Francisco 49ers surprisingly ruling running back Christian McCaffrey (calf, Achilles) out for Monday night's showdown against the New York Jets, backup Jordan Mason will now get the start in the backfield. Patrick Taylor Jr. and rookie Isaac Guerendo will also be active and available as depth, with Guerendo likely returning kicks on special teams. Fantasy managers that were fully expecting CMC to play on Monday could be in trouble if they don't already have Mason on their roster or he's not immediately available to pluck off the waiver wire. The 25-year-old Mason has had limited opportunities in his two NFL seasons in San Fran, but he has averaged 5.6 yards per carry and has scored four times in 33 total games (zero starts). In a strong Niners offense, Mason is an appealing handcuff with upside as a plug-in-play option for those that have McCaffrey rostered.

From RotoBaller

In a big surprise, San Francisco 49ers All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey (calf, Achilles), the reigning Offensive Player of the Year in 2023, is inactive for the team's Week 1 regular-season opener on Monday night against the visiting New York Jets, according to sources. McCaffrey practiced on a limited basis with the team last week before being handed a questionable tag for Week 1, but he expressed optimism that he would play over the weekend and handle a near-normal workload. CMC was apparently more optimistic than the coaching staff, and they have decided to hold him out for another week. If CMC's fantasy managers don't already have backup Jordan Mason handcuffed, they could find themselves in a bind on Monday night. Mason is starting on Monday, with Patrick Taylor Jr. and rookie Isaac Guerendo also active and available. Guerendo will likely return kicks.

From RotoBaller