analyst
Kaelon Black a Priority Waiver-Wire Add With CMC Banged Up
49ers add rookie RB Kaelon Black after Christian McCaffrey misses practice; Black may see increased workload if McCaffrey is unavailable
Kaelon Black
RB · SF · 24 yrs · exp 0 · Indiana
Status
- Game status
- Active
Keep Trade Cut (SF TEP)
From latest snapshot · trend vs ~7d prior when data allows.
Value
2,566
Rank
#192
Pos rank
#55
7d trend
—
Value history (90d)
One snapshot point per calendar day (shown in your timezone).
Latest: Sep 7, 2026 · 2,566
News
Stories linked to this player — newest first.
RB · SF
trending
Kaelon Black heavily dropped (#25)
Sleeper trending/drop: Kaelon Black (13414) count=14665 (Δ14665 vs prior poll)
analyst
Kaelon Black a Premier Handcuff Running Back Worth Targeting in Drafts
A third-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, San Francisco 49ers rookie running back Kaelon Black entered training camp in competition with fellow 49ers back Jordan James for the team's RB2 role behind Christian McCaffrey. However, James battled some injury issues throughout the summer, and recent reporting out of San Francisco indicates that Black currently has a hold on the backup running back job. As long as McCaffrey remains healthy, Black is unlikely to play a fantasy-relevant role in 2026. Still, McCaffrey is now 30 years old and logged an NFL-high 413 touches in 2025. The superstar back also has a history of suffering season-altering injuries, as he's played seven games or fewer in three of his nine NFL campaigns. If he is indeed the clear RB2 in San Francisco, Black carries high-end handcuff appeal into 2026
general
49ers place RB Isaac Guerendo on reserve/PUP
49ers placed RB Isaac Guerendo on reserve/PUP list due to a pectoral muscle injury, will miss first 4 games of the season
RB · SF
RB · SF
general
How would you split the 49ers’ RB workload in 2026
Yahoo article discussing potential RB workload split for the 49ers in 2026
analyst
Kaelon Black Appears to Have Firm Hold on 49ers' No. 2 Job
San Francisco 49ers running back Kaelon Black appears to have a firm grip on the No. 2 job behind Christian McCaffrey, according to Matt Barrows. Black carried four times for 28 yards in Thursday's preseason finale against Las Vegas, including a 14-yard run, and finished the preseason with 61 yards on 12 carries. The rookie missed part of camp with an adductor injury but returned Aug. 18, five days before Jordan James came back from a rib injury. That extra time seems to have mattered. Barrows pointed to Black's decisiveness, vision and receiving ability as reasons he has separated himself. The 90th overall pick rushed for 1,039 yards and 10 touchdowns at Indiana last season and caught 55 passes across his college career. James did have 55 scrimmage yards on nine touches Thursday, so the competition is not completely dead. Still, Black looks like the favorite to open the season as McCaffrey's primary backup
RB · SF
analyst
Kaelon Black - Averages 7.0 yards per carry
sleeper-rotowire+17 stories · 30dSource unavailable
Black rushed four times for 28 yards and failed to bring in his only target in the 49ers' 18-12 preseason win over the Raiders on Thursday. Black didn't log a touch on the 49ers' opening three-and-out possession, but he gained 11 yards on back-to-back carries to start San Francisco's second drive. The rookie third-round pick then recorded his game-high 14 yards on the last play of the first quarter, rounding out his relatively brief night in encouraging fashion. Black put together a solid two-game preseason during which he rushed 12 times for 61 yards, but his primary competition for the No. 2 running back role, Jordan James, had a productive night himself Thursday with 55 scrimmage yards on nine touches. Consequently, it's possible the two backs share complementary touches behind Christian McCaffrey (undisclosed) to open the regular season
RB · SF
analyst
Kaelon Black: Averages 7.0 yards per carry
Kaelon Black rushed for 28 yards in the 49ers' preseason win over the Raiders
RB · SF
general
Klay Kubiak highlights where Kaelon Black was ‘impressive’ in preseason debut
49ers OC Klay Kubiak praises Kaelon Black's preseason debut
RB · SF
general
49ers Snap Counts and Grades: Is there a new RB2 in town?
Kaelon Black was impressive on Thursday night
RB · SF
analyst
Kaelon Black - Logs eight carries in preseason win
sleeper-rotowire+17 stories · 30dSource unavailable
Black rushed eight times for 33 yards and wasn't targeted in the 49ers' 41-17 preseason win over the Chargers on Thursday night. The rookie third-round pick operated as the starting running back with Christian McCaffrey (undisclosed) inactive, and Black immediately recorded a five-yard gain on the 49ers' first play from scrimmage. The Indiana product also had eight- and nine-yard gains on San Francisco' second possession as he continued to make a strong case for the No. 2 job to open the regular season. Black saw backfield mate Sincere McCormick put together an impressive 6-53-1 line on the ground Thursday as well, but the former likely has the inside track to serve as McCaffrey's primary backup in a backfield that may also include Jordan James (ribs) and Isaac Guerendo (PUP-pectoral)
general
49ers bring Khalil Herbert back; Patrick Taylor Jr. heads to the IR
Khalil Herbert is brought back by the 49ers, while Patrick Taylor Jr. is sent to the IR
RB · SF
analyst
Kaelon Black - Shines in return to practice
sleeper-rotowire+17 stories · 30dSource unavailable
Black (thigh) looked like himself at Tuesday's practice, Grant Cohn of SI.com reports. Black has been sidelined since Aug. 3 due to an adductor injury, but his return to the practice field Tuesday was a welcome sight for an RB room that currently is without Christian McCaffrey (undisclosed), Jordan James (ribs) and Isaac Guerendo (pectoral, active/PUP). Black, a rookie third-round pick, now is the top healthiest player at the position ahead of Patrick Taylor, Sincere McCormick and Zamir White on the 49ers roster
RB · SF
analyst
Kaelon Black (adductor) in uniform at practice Tuesday
by Ari Koslow | 49ers Correspondent | Tue, Aug 18th 2026, 1:06pm EDT Kaelon Black is in uniform at practice on Tuesday for the first time since the first week of camp. ( Matt Barrows on Twitter ) Fantasy Impact: It is a positive sign for the Black. The rookie will have a chance to be good to go for the regular season opener. RB Kaelon Black is in uniform for the first time since the first week of camp https://t.co/yyY0qt8xQ5 Category: Injury Updates | More Kaelon Black : News , Rankings , Projections , Stats Add FantasyPros on Google
RB · SF
analyst
Kaelon Black - Returns to practice
sleeper-rotowire+17 stories · 30dSource unavailable
Black (thigh) is back in uniform for Tuesday's practice session, Matt Barrows of The Athletic This is significant for the rookie as Black had been sidelined since the first week of camp due to an adductor injury. Black is jockeying for position in the 49ers' backfield behind Christian McCaffrey and has to make up for lost time. Any ability to show some flash over the remainder of the preseason would help Black's case for playing time vs. Jordan James
RB · SF
transaction
Waiver: Kaelon Black added, Elic Ayomanor dropped
sleeper-tx-waiver+17 stories · 30dSource unavailable
Adds: Kaelon Black. Drops: Elic Ayomanor
RB · SF
general
Can Kaelon Black take over RB2 role in the preseason?
San Francisco’s running back room has been dealing with injuries in training camp
general
49ers add RB Zamir White
San Francisco has elected to add one of the running backs the club worked out this week. Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, the 49ers are signing Zamir White. White, 26, completed his rookie contract with the Raiders with the 2025 season. A fourth-round pick in 2022, White has appeared in 45 career games with nine starts. He’s taken 198 carries for 736 yards with two touchdowns and caught 25 passes for 152 yards. In six games last season, White took 12 carries for 32 yards and caught four passes for 24 yards. The 49ers also had Nyheim Miller-Hines in for a workout earlier this week. Running back Christian McCaffrey missed Monday’s practice with tightness. Fellow running backs Jordan James, Kaelon Black, and Isaac Guerendo have also been sidelined
analyst
Impending Value Shifts Affecting Dynasty and Redraft
All the teams are now in their third week of training camp. The regular season is so close we can almost taste it. Here are some moves you should be making ahead of Week 1. The following are good players; otherwise, no one would want to buy them in dynasty. However, these are also players I’m fading at cost in redraft leagues. Heading into what will be his 10th season in the NFL, Christian McCaffrey is coming off another season of monstrous volume. The former eighth overall pick totaled 413 touches last year. There is a healthy trove of data showing regression for players the year following such a wildly busy season — as recently as last year, we saw Saquon Barkley ‘s production drop off steeply from 2024, when he led the league with over 2,000 rushing yards. Barkley’s yards per carry dropped from a whopping 5.8 in 2024 to 4.1 last year, a nearly 30% decrease. McCaffrey has already seen a decline in efficiency. His yards per carry dipped below four for the first time since 2020. His Explosive Rating , Breakaway Runs , and Juke Rate have also diminished. Durability is another concern. Barkley suited up for 16 games in 2025; a feat that the oft-injured Christian McCaffrey could have more difficulty with. McCaffrey has played seven games or fewer in three of the last six seasons. The aging engine of the 49ers’ offense still has value, however, as the team has no clear replacement for him as of yet. Rookie Kaelon Black , yet another third-round swing at the position, was widely thought to be a reach in April’s draft. He’ll be battling with last year’s fifth-round selection Jordan James for backup duties. Christian McCaffrey just missed practice with “tightness”. Before you freak out and drop him to RB10 on your draft board, there is ONE massive piece of detail everyone is ignoring right now… 🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/KL7X1D0Q1v — The Sideline Podcast (@thetspcommunity) August 11, 2026 There’s an outside chance that a contending team could be willing to come off a late 2027 first-round pick for the talented 30-year-old. But more likely, your return for McCaffrey will start with a second-round pick. If going this route, try to get another later pick, or a younger player. Maybe lil’ bro Luke McCaffrey , or someone in that range, to sprinkle in some upside. Still within his prime years, you may be surprised to see CeeDee Lamb listed here. However, hitting the right sell window on a player of this caliber could net you a big-time return. In each of the last three years, Lamb has seen a drop in games played, targets, receptions, receiving yards, touchdowns, and, naturally, fantasy points per game. Fellow wideout George Pickens is ranked just four spots behind Lamb in the Player Profiler Dynasty Rankings , and the gap is closing. Should Pickens outperform Lamb again this year under his franchise tag, he could usurp the No. 1 role moving forward. If he doesn’t, Lamb would not see a significant rise in value, as he would then be approaching his age-30 season. In return for the former Oklahoma Sooner, you could easily net a mid-2027-first-round pick plus . That “plus” would obviously vary depending on a multitude of things. Each league has its own market, which can depend on the number of active teams (each with subjective views on players and their worth), in addition to all the variations in roster and scoring settings. In most leagues, however, something like a mid-first and a younger, not-quite-proven player makes sense. Guys like Braelon Allen , Tank Dell , Gunnar Helm , and Skyler Bell come to mind. Way back when Patrick Mahomes was a rookie in 2017, he started just one game. From the following season until now, Mahomes, to many, has been the new face of the NFL. He started his tenure as the Chiefs’ franchise quarterback with five straight seasons as the QB6 or better in fantasy points per game. The last of those seasons was 2022, when he finished as the QB2. Since then, he has topped out at 27 passing touchdowns (2023). A steep [... truncated ...]
analyst
Christian McCaffrey Not Practicing for Second Straight Day
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (undisclosed) is not practicing at training camp for the second straight day on Tuesday, according to Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group. McCaffrey is being held out so far this week with undisclosed "tightness," but offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak has downplayed CMC's situation and said the team is "just managing" the All-Pro RB. The 49ers are already pretty banged up early in training camp, and as a result, they are resting some of their key veterans like McCaffrey. In addition to McCaffrey, RBs Kaelon Black (groin), Jordan James (ribs), and Isaac Guerendo (pectoral) are injured, so the Niners can't afford to lose their most valuable offensive weapon in McCaffrey before the season even starts. CMC managed to stay completely healthy in 2025 and finished as the RB1 in half-PPR scoring with 1,202 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns while adding 924 receiving yards and seven touchdowns as a receiver in 17 games. McCaffrey has elite upside at his position but also high-end bust potential due to his lengthy injury history. RotoBaller has him ranked as the RB3 for 2026, behind only Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson
Data comes from cached Sleeper and KTC snapshots. Values update when the sync jobs run.