Vikings TE Irv Smith Jr. (thumb) expected to be ready Week 1

Matthew Stafford is expected to start against the Texans, Sean McVay said.

Great news for Stafford and his fantasy owners. Hopefully his back issues are a thing of the past but it will be worth watching once Stafford starts to take a few hits. We already know it was reported his back will need to be managed this season.

There is some positive news on the injury front for Chargers running back Najee Harris.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters in his Monday press conference that Harris has been cleared for contact and there’s a “possibility” he plays against the Chiefs on Friday night.

“He’s looked really good in practice,” Harbaugh said.

Related players: Omarion Hampton, Hassan Haskins

Harris, who signed a one-year deal with Los Angeles this offseason, has been sidelined by an eye injury suffered in early July. He had returned to practice, but hadn’t been doing any drills with contact, the story said. Other reports said Harris will begin to ramp things up. Even if Harris is good to go for Week 1, which remember is a Friday night game, he may not have a safe enough workload for fantasy lineups. Hopefully we'll learn more by the team's first injury report, but Hampton is looking like a safer option either way.

Monday brought a positive development for the 49ers’ receiving corps.

Reporters at the open portion of practice shared photos and videos of Jauan Jennings taking part in the session. The wideout has been sidelined by a calf injury for an extended period of time, but the word in the last week or so has been that the team expects him to play against the Seahawks this week.

Monday’s workout is a good sign that things are moving in that direction, although the team won’t issue their first official injury report of the season until after Wednesday’s practice is in the books, the story said. Jennings, of course, also wants a new contract and there is no word if things have changed on that front.