Team news: San Francisco 49ers | Page 7

49ers WR Deebo Samuel was carted off with a lower-body injury against the Buccaneers.

It’s unreal how bad the 49ers have been hit lately by the injury bug. This is the latest sting. Fortunately, the 49ers have been cruising agains the Bucs, thanks to Brandon Aiyuk and the efforts of Mr. Irrelevant, Brock Purdy. Hopefully the injury isn’t too serious for Samuel, but it didn’t look good with the way he was emotional and his teammates consoling him as he was being carted off.

Sources: Doctors concluded today that 49ers' QB Jimmy Garoppolo does not need foot surgery, it is not a Lisfranc injury, and if rehab goes smoothly, he could have a chance to return in 7-8 weeks, making him a potential playoff contributor.

Related players: Brock Purdy, Josh Johnson

Seven weeks from Sunday's game would put Jimmy G possibly back on the field Jan. 22, which would be the second round of the playoffs assuming the 49ers make it and win in the opening round. While they can depend on their great defense, Purdy or Johnson will have to do enough on offense to get the Niners to that point.

After Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a season-ending foot injury on Sunday, reports emerged that San Francisco would sign quarterback Josh Johnson off the Broncos’ practice squad to back up Brock Purdy.

Now that move has become official, with the 49ers announcing they’ve signed Johnson to a one-year deal on Tuesday afternoon.

Johnson was one of the only quarterbacks available who had even a little experience in the 49ers system. He was briefly with the club in 2020, the story said. The story also added it's still possible the team could sign free agent Baker Mayfield.

The 49ers placed running back Elijah Mitchell on injured reserve Saturday.

Mitchell has a torn MCL that will sideline him 6-8 weeks, so this was a procedural move for the 49ers and the second time Mitchell will be on IR after missing seven games prior to returning on November 12. They'll likely rest him until the playoffs, so his fantasy season is effectively over.

Christian McCaffrey said he dodged a bullet with his knee issue, said he’ll play in full Sunday. “I feel great,” he said.

Related Players: Tyrion Davis-Price, Jordan Mason

If CMC is a full go, Davis-Price and Mason are obsolete as anything more than a desperation play. McCaffrey should be considered an RB1, even if he's banged up.

Who rises in the running back rotation now that Elijah Mitchell will miss a substantial amount of time? Never underestimate Shanahan’s fondness for veteran Tevin Coleman, who is on the practice squad but had a pivotal role in the Week 5 win in Carolina.

Meanwhile, Shanahan continues to sing the praises of third-round pick Tyrion Davis-Price even though Price has been a healthy scratch since Week 7. Jordan Mason has been in uniform instead of Davis-Price because Mason is the better special-teamer and has become a stalwart on the kickoff and punt units.

Related players: Christian McCaffrey

The story said McCaffrey played about 65% of the snaps but is also dealing with some knee irritation. Ideally, the 49ers would like to keep McCaffrey around that mark, so the RB who is next up could certainly have some fantasy value with Mitchell sidelined again. In deeper leagues or dynasty leagues, Coleman could still be on your wire and may be worth a stash until this situation sorts itself out.

The 49ers hoped to avoid a long-term knee injury with Elijah Mitchell. They didn't. Mitchell is expected to miss 6-8 weeks, per head coach Kyle Shanahan. Meanwhile, the 49ers will manage Christian McCaffrey's "knee irritation" during the week.

Related Players: Jordan Mason, Tyrion Davis-Price

The injury bug continues to live rent-free inside the 49ers backfield. Stay tuned for what exactly "knee irritation" means, but Tyrion Davis-Price should be nabbed off of waiver wires wherever he is available for the fantasy playoffs. Davis-Price is no longer going to be healthy-scratched and needs to be on all fantasy rosters moving forward in case he becomes the de facto RB1 in San Francisco's offense.

Deebo Samuel (hamstring) was limited for the second straight practice

Related Players: Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, Jauan Jennings

If Deebo were to miss, it's possible that there's a little more touchdown equity for the receiving corps as well as Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell. Samuel hasn't been used as often in the run game as he was in 2021, but he does have two rushing TDs on the season.