Sophia Culpo's in a new relationship, and she couldn't appear to be happier about it.
The model and influencer raved over her new boyfriend during an exclusive interview with the California Post on Monday, revealing for the first time publicly his name is JP.
Sophia Culpo poses with her new boyfriend, who works in finance, in a photo posted to Instagram on Sept. 8, 2026. Instagram/sophiaculpo
Sophia Culpo hard launched her new boyfriend on Instagram on Sept. 8, 2026. Instagram/sophiaculpo
"We met through a mutual friend, which I think is really the way to go about it these days," said Culpo, the sister-in-law of San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey. "And he's just so lovely. And we're in our little bubble, trying to balance the bubble and also the public aspect of people wanting to know.

#boyfriend #bubble

Week 1 was a great reminder of why we all love fantasy football.
At quarterback, Bryce Young scored more points than Drake Maye, Baker Mayfield, Matthew Stafford, Kyler Murray and Sam Darnold combined. At running back, two Bears finished inside the top-10 while Christian McCaffrey was out-carried by a rookie. The current WR1, Jalen ****** er, had more fantasy points than Puka Nacua, DeVonta Smith, Drake London, George Pickens and Ja'Marr Chase combined. Finally, the currently list of TE1s includes Mike Gesicki, Pat Freiermuth, T.J. Hockenson, Noah Fant, Cole Kmet and Kenyon Sadiq. Fun.
Thankfully, we can already start looking ahead to Week 2.
Here's an early look at Week 2 fantasy football rankings. Toggle between standard, half PPR (point per reception) and full PPR to see where players rank in your league's format. Scroll to the bottom to view the complete rankings.
Our team at USA TODAY Sports has you covered with plenty of content to help with your Week 2 waiver wire and roster decisions. Looking for up-to-date player news? We've got it. Wondering who the best waiver-wire claims are? We have that covered, so you can make your pickups. Need to know what players you can drop? We have that as well. We also have a list of the eight best buy low/sell high candidates and our biggest winners and losers from Week 1.

#drake #looking #Football #list

As I write this on Sunday night, all but one Week 1 game is comfortably in the books, and as is always the case on opening weekend, we encountered a slew of surprises. Some promising, others concerning and many that may have affected our outlook on a player or an offense. We're all doing our best not to overreact to one Sunday (and one Wednesday and one Thursday), but some of these shifting perspectives are bound to have permanent ramifications.
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With that in mind, I've compiled the (first) full weekly fantasy football stock report. These are the most notable risers and fallers heading into Week 2.
Ankle sprain, schmankle schprain (sorry, editors). Ashton Jeanty looked incredible on Sunday and had absolutely no limitations on his workload. He handled 23 carries and had six catches, totaling 147 yards while scoring twice through the air. He totaled 74 rushing yards after contact and scored both of his receiving touchdowns from the 13-yard line. Translation? The second-year RB's upside is arguably somewhere in the Christian McCaffrey stratosphere. The one caveat to all of this, of course, is that he did it against the Miami Dolphins. We'll see whether things change in Week 2 against the Chargers. But for now, Jeanty looks fully healthy and completely dominant, and anyone who got him at the "ankle sprain discount" is doing cartwheels.
At just 61% rostered on Yahoo, Jalen ******* er was closer to being a waiver-wire player than a fantasy stud. Not anymore. The third-year wideout led the Panthers with nine targets, eight catches, 138 receiving yards and two touchdowns, finishing as the WR1 overall on Sunday (29.8 fantasy points). He ran the second-most routes on the team (32), behind Tetairoa McMillan (36), and averaged 13.8 air yards per target and 4.31 yards per route run. He made a very strong opening argument to be a 1B to McMillan's 1A this season. And while all of Carolina's numbers were inflated by this barn-burner of a game with Chicago, ******* er had flashed late last year and looks like a legitimate third-year breakout candidate. He'll be among the most-added players on waivers this week (despite starting at 61%) and should be at least a FLEX consideration until further notice.

#yards

The San Francisco 49ers came out firing on every cylinder to deliver a 27-7 beatdown Down Under of the Los Angeles Rams. From the decision to arrive early to their piling on late scoring, how well did Brock Purdy, Kyle Shanahan and the crew do in upsetting the Super Bowl favorites to start the season?
Offense: A-
The old guys ruled. And that Kaelon Black kid wasn't too shabby. A 30-something (Demarcus Robinson, Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel) accounted for their three TDs and an almost 40-something, Trent Williams, was the best of the bunch, because you and I had as many tackles, QB hits and sacks as Rams' All-Universe pass rusher Myles Garrett. Less happily, De'Zhaun Stribling and Jake Tonges were carted away in the second quarter. George Kittle was a rumor. Yet Brock Purdy didn't notice. Outside of a horrific interception, Purdy was terrific with his arm, legs and swaggy first-down celebrations. Does Christian McCaffrey finally have a caddy? Yes. Rookie Black looked excellent in a real game after resembling a third-round find in the spring and summer.
Defense: A+
Raheem Morris in 2028? The well-respected new defensive coordinator looked like Bill Belichick (the pre-2022 version) while his unit made the reigning NFL MVP Matthew Stafford look ordinary. Sorry, correction: not just ordinary, but awful. Having Nick Bosa, Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw (combined games played for 49ers in 2025: 9) back together did give Morris some added IQ points. The LB duo turned out the lights on the Rams when Greenlaw held up Tyler Higbee and Warner peanut-punched the ball out. The 49ers didn't have a sack, but they made Stafford unsettled. Osa Odighizuwa had four of their eight QB hits, including a pressure that led to Stafford's INT.

#greenlaw

49ers vs. Rams overreactions: Matthew Stafford loses MVP form, Christian McCaffrey in RB committee & more originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Los Angeles Rams were getting hyped as a heavy favorite to win the NFC West and Super Bowl 61 going into the 2026 NFL season. There was even some buzz, with the trade for edge rusher Myles Garrett and the return of tackle Aaron Donald, they would have a dominant enough defense to go undefeated.
That narrative was all blown up by one game. Instead of flexing on their division rival San Francisco 49ers in the first-ever NFL game in Melbourne, Australia, the Rams were the ones dominated in a 27-7 loss to start 0-1.
With the reigning Super Bowl and NFC West champion Seattle winning on Thursday night, the Rams are in last place, with the 49ers joining the Seahawks at 1-0 and the Cardinals not playing until Sunday.
Donald didn't play in the far-away "home" opener. Thanks to the 49ers' offensive line and the rest of their blockers, it also felt like Garrett wasn't playing in the game, either.

#Rams #super #bowl

San Francisco 49ers RB Kaelon Black had a game-high 14 carries for 65 yards against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1. He added a five-yard reception on his lone target.
SOURCE: ESPN
Why It Matters: For years, the 49ers have steadfastly refused to utilize a second running back in any meaningful way when Christian McCaffrey has been available. On Thursday, they did just that, giving the rookie 14 rushing attempts -- that was four more than McCaffrey, and five more than last year's RB2 Brian Robinson had in any game. Black delivered, too, running hard and posting a healthy 4.6 yards per carry. You never want to read too much into Week 1, and there were extenuating circumstances with the game taking place in Australia, but Black did enough to warrant adding off waivers if he's out there.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kaelon Black surprisingly involved in NFL debut

#yards #angeles

MELBOURNE, Australia - The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Los Angeles Rams in convincing fashion in their season-opener Friday afternoon (Thursday night in the United States), 27-7, at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
After arriving in Australia a week before kickoff, the 49ers looked far more energized than the Super Bowl-favorite Rams, who touched down just more than 24 hours before the game and appeared visibly exhausted. Last year's NFL MVP, Matthew Stafford, looked helpless against a disruptive 49ers defense, while Brock Purdy diced up the opposition that was littered with big-time offseason acquisitions.
Here are immediate takeaways from the 49ers' commanding first win, in front of an announced crowd of 100,021.
Against a Rams defense that added defensive end Myles Garrett and cornerback Trent McDuffie, the 49ers had little trouble. They converted seven of 12 third downs and totaled 379 yards of offense. The ground game in particular was impressive, where San Francisco averaged 5.9 yards per attempt.
Rookie running back Kaelon Black added some zip to San Francisco's offense - and, as an added bonus, took much of the load off of 30-year-old Christian McCaffrey - rushing for 65 yards on 14 attempts. McCaffrey still featured in the offense, touching the ball 15 times, but his services weren't as needed once San Francisco went up 17 points in the third quarter.

#mccaffrey

RB Christian McCaffrey carried the ball 10 times for 68 yards versus the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1. McCaffrey was targeted eight times in the passing game, hauling in five **** for 20 yards.
SOURCE: ESPN
Why It Matters: You never want to read too much into a single game, particularly in Week 1, but it was surprising to see how much burn Kaelon Black got. Perhaps some early big hits on CMC played a role. Perhaps San Francisco's ability to work from in front was the reason. Regardless, the rookie carried the ball 14 times in Melbourne. For comparison, last year's backup Brian Robinson averaged 5.4 carries per game and never had more than nine in a single game. McCaffrey still turned 15 touches into a respectable 88 yards, and he'll belong right back in your lineup as an RB1 in Week 2. It's a situation that bears watching, however.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Christian McCaffrey posts 88 yards in opener

#mccaffrey

The San Francisco 49ers played their NFL Week 1 game against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Melbourne, Australia.
When do the 49ers play next on the 2026 NFL schedule?
Where will San Francisco play in NFL Week 2?
Who do the San Francisco 49ers play next in their Week 2 NFL game?
Here's what to know about the upcoming schedule for Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Fred Warner and the San Francisco NFL team's Week 2 game.

#game #angeles #sept

Christian McCaffrey led the NFL in touches during the 2025 season with 413.
In the first half of the San Francisco 49ers' 2026 season-opener against the Los Angeles Rams, McCaffrey didn't even lead his backfield in touches. Instead, actually played second fiddle to third-round rookie Kaelon Black.
Black handled eight total touches to McCaffrey's seven in the first half. The split was more noticeable on the ground, where Black got seven carries while McCaffrey got just three.

#mccaffrey #touches #half

The San Francisco 49ers' first inactive list of the season is out. They'll lean into the veterans on the roster tonight, as every player on the inactive list is on a rookie contract:
QB Kurtis Rourke
CB Ephesians Prysock
RB Jordan James
WR Jordan Watkins
LB Tatum Bethune
OT Enrique Cruz
The 49ers having only two running backs active suggests Deebo Samuel will play a pivotal role out of the backfield. Expect him to be an option still in the passing game, but it likely comes from the running back alignment. If anybody knows how to take on a heavier workload against the Rams, it's Deebo.
It's also a sign that the team is comfortable giving Kaelon black touches. Kyle Shanahan said this past offseason that he regrets not involving more running backs last season. It means you're taking Christian McCaffrey off the field, so it's understandable. Still, the goal is to keep McCaffrey fresh for the last stretch of the season.
With Watkins inactive, Mike Evans, De'Zhaun Stribling, Demarcus Robinson, Jacob Cowing, and KhaDarel Hodge are the wideouts. If Samuel's role is more underneath, we'll see whether that means Cowing has a role as the receiver who stretches the field for the offense.

#running #role #cowing

I feel like I spend half of my hours dreaming about the San Francisco offense these days. Of course, I spend the other half sweating in a panic.
This is life with fantasy football's most boom/bust depth chart. And we have plenty to be nervous about as the 49ers get ready for their Thursday night opener against the Rams, coming live from Australia, with several stars on the injury report.
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The perks with San Francisco are obvious. Kyle Shanahan is a brilliant coach, Brock Purdy a plus quarterback and Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle and Mike Evans all look like Hall of Famers. Of course those last three vets are all back-nine players, too — McCaffrey enters his age-30 season, while it's an age-33 lap for Kittle and Evans.
Injury concerns come standard with all three. Kittle tore his Achilles in January. Evans was a limited player all summer, managing a groin injury. It's possible Kittle will have a slow open to the season, and Evans also has to be handled carefully, though I suspect he'll at least repay this summer draft cost.

#half

After a whirlwind offseason and preseason, the San Francisco 49ers got some much-needed good news going into Week 1 of the NFL season.
Nick Bosa will play against NFC West rival Los Angeles Rams in Thursday's season opener in Melbourne, Australia, defensive coordinator Raheem Morris told reporters Monday, Sept. 8. The All-Pro edge rusher tore his right ACL in Week 3 last season and began doing individual drills during training camp in July but was soon sidelined again with tendinitis. He continued to rehab in recent weeks and returned to practice on Sept. 2. He progressed enough in his rehab to travel with the Niners to Melbourne, but his status remained unclear.
That was until Morris addressed the media on Monday night in no uncertain terms.
"Oh, he's going out there," Morris said. "Whatever you want to say, he's going. He'll be there. We're not hiding that."
Bosa took the field for practice in full uniform on Monday with a brace on his right knee. A few other key players on the injury report – tight end George Kittle, wide receiver Mike Evans and running back Christian McCaffrey – were all reportedly fully dressed as well.

#Monday

MELBOURNE, Australia - On a cloudy Sunday afternoon, an Australian man moseys down Flinders Street, one of the city's most historic roads, decked out in 49ers gear.
"You a Niners fan?" I ask as the man approaches, fully knowing the answer. He's rocking a white Christian McCaffrey jersey, a gold Super Bowl XXIV hat and an oversize red chain necklace attached to an oval-shaped 49ers logo. He's holding a red and gold pompom in his left hand.
For most NFL fans, this would be an excessive outfit on a game day. Raymond Schembri is wearing it five days before the San Francisco 49ers play their season-opener against the Los Angeles Rams at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Yet can you really blame Schembri? He has been waiting for this moment all his life.
"I've been a Niners fan for as long as I can remember," says Schembri, a 58-year-old resident of Yarraville, a nearby suburb. "To hear that they were actually coming to my backyard - our backyard - just (blew) us away."

#niners #australia #sunday #flinders

The San Francisco 49ers have their 2026 team captains. The same list as 2025. During his Sunday press conference in preparation for the 49ers' Thursday game against the Los Angeles Rams, Kyle Shanahan gave the list of team captains:
TE George Kittle
OT Trent Williams
LB Fred Warner
QB Brock Purdy
DE Nick Bosa
RB Christian McCaffrey
FB Kyle Juszcyk
CB Deommodore Lenoir
As said above, if that list seems familiar, that's because it's the same list as last season. The 49ers vote on who makes it as a captain, so this means the leadership pecking order in the locker room remains unchanged.
The 49ers are a very talented roster, but the fact that the list remains the same as a year ago, with no new faces, probably won't help the criticisms that the team is too "old." The 'newest' name on this list is Lenoir, whose ascension last year essentially filled the vacancy left by Deebo Samuel.
While we can debate the roster's age all we want, established veterans doing the heavy lifting means they have capable leadership. Hopefully Bosa can stay on the field to help the defensive line turn a corner. The same goes for Brock Purdy and George Kittle. With a rookie De'Zhaun Stribling impressing in the preseason, having Purdy and Kittle to look up to will be invaluable.

#same #kittle #george #brock

The Seattle Seahawks have achieved an impressive defensive accomplishment, having gone 26 consecutive games without allowing an opposing running back to rush for 100 or more yards on them, the team announced just prior to the start of the upcoming 2026 season.
The streak is not only the longest in the NFL today, as well as in team history, but also highlights the Seahawks' remarkable consistency against the run and indicates just how much the defense has excelled in recent memory.
Keeping opposing running backs from reaching the century mark across an extended stretch of games is difficult to do in the NFL, and the Seahawks have done so against elite ball-carriers including San Francisco 49ers superstar Christian McCaffrey and Indianapolis Colts RB Jonathan Taylor, as well as rushers who went for 1,000-yards in 2025, including Tennessee ******* ans RB Tony Pollard and Los Angeles Rams RB Kyren Williams.
Now at 26 games, the Seahawks' streak provides another measure of the defense's effectiveness. The challenge moving forward will be maintaining that standard in 2026 and extending one of the team's most notable defensive accomplishments.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Incredible stat shows Seahawks defensive dominance against the run

#yards #well #including

Sunday at 6 p.m. ET was the deadline for all 32 NFL teams to reduce their rosters to 53.
Sunday, the Washington Commanders released 16 offensive players. Here are those released and a quick reason why.
C/G Julian Good-Jones: The player wanted most by local fans and media to be released.
WR Jaden Bradley: Had the best catch of the preseason. Almost blocked two punts. Might have an NFL future.
WR Van Jefferson: Jefferson is a better route runner, but Luke McCaffrey won out because he returns kicks well.

#good

The Washington Commanders have until 6:00 p.m. Sunday to trim their roster from 90 to 53 players. The work has already begun, as Washington reportedly released five players on Saturday.
Of the first five moves, none were surprises. Washington released two safeties, two linebackers and an offensive lineman. The Commanders are deep at the first two positions, and Nicholas Petit-Frere, the offensive lineman released, was always a long shot when he signed during training camp.
Washington made its most surprising cut last week, releasing veteran safety Will Harris. However, if you'd been to Commanders training camp or watched Harris in action, it wasn't much of a surprise. He had struggled. His release likely means Washington is set at safety with Nick Cross, Jeremy Reaves, Quan Martin, Tyler Owens and Percy Butler.
Speaking of surprise cuts, could the Commanders move on from 2024 third-round pick Luke McCaffrey? Washington had six receivers inactive for the preseason finale at Baltimore on Friday, which usually indicates a player is safe. Two players competing for a spot at receiver, McCaffrey and Van Jefferson, were active. What does it mean? It means McCaffrey isn't 100% safe, despite a solid training camp.
Let's look at four potential surprise cuts on Sunday and why it would be a surprise.

#surprise #released #camp

The Washington Commanders have completed training camp and the preseason. It was a rough final week for the Commanders, who struggled in Wednesday's joint practice with the Baltimore Ravens before losing 41-3 in the final preseason game.
With the preseason behind them, all of the attention now turns to general manager Adam Peters, who must trim Washington's roster from 90 players to 53 before then turning his attention to the practice squad. Peters has plenty of work to do. Will he look outside the organization for offensive line depth?
The Commanders will face some difficult decisions. Will they keep six or seven wide receivers? Is former third-round pick Luke McCaffrey on the roster bubble? Does Peters keep both rookie running backs? How many cornerbacks? Several starters are battling injuries ahead of Week 1. How will that impact Washington's initial 53-man roster?
We're tracking the Commanders' roster cuts as they happen before Sunday's deadline. Stay tuned to this page for updates.
Washington waived safety Qwuantrezz Knight, via John Keim of ESPN.

#washington #week #final

With just days ahead of a flight to Melbourne, Australia for their season-opening showdown with the Rams, several 49ers stars descended upon St. Francis High School in Mountain View to watch Kyle Shanahan's son play.
George Kittle and his wife Claire, Kyle Juszczyk and his wife Kristin, Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams and Mac Jones were all in attendance for the first St. Francis game of the season with a field-level view against Manteca High School. Instagram Stories posts by Kristin Juszczyk and Claire Kittle show the pair en route to and in attendance at a high school football game, and the group of 49ers can be seen sitting underneath the scoreboard on the school's livestream of the game.
While there were many games going on across the Bay Area on Friday night, the connection with their coach's family appears to be a big reason why all the 49ers went to the Mountain View private school for a game. Shanahan's son, Carter, is a junior this year who takes after his dad, who was a wide receiver at the University of Texas, and plays the same position for the Lancers. Carter Shanahan was a starter on Friday night as the Lancers beat Manteca, 31-23, and even was the team's primary kick returner.
The 49ers ties at St. Francis run deeper than just the coach's kid, too. Former 49ers quarterback Alex Smith and Hall of Fame defensive lineman Bryant Young were hired as ******* istant coaches for the varsity team over the summer, and both are in their first seasons on the Lancers' staff. And two former St. Francis players are currently with the 49ers: the team signed defensive end Villami "Junior" Fehoko Jr. last week and employs Michael Lauck, a former quarterback at the school, on the 49ers' video team. Other former 49ers stars have also sent their kids to St. Francis in the past, including Hall of Fame safety Ronnie Lott and former head coach Steve Mariucci, and were frequently seen at the school's sporting events.
It isn't the first time the 49ers have made their presence felt on the St. Francis football field, as Shanahan also attended his son's junior varsity game last season after his team's Week 5 dramatic win against the Rams.

#school #high #view

LAS VEGAS - Kyle Shanahan says the same thing about his star running back every year. Something about a need to manage his workload. Only to give him the ball 400 times and shrug.
Christian McCaffrey in 2025 set a new single-season high for touches, 450 between the regular season and playoffs, and is now 30 years old. Maybe it is time. The youngsters, Kaelon Black and Jordan James, have given Shanahan some reason this preseason to follow through.
No promises. But, surely, the San Francisco 49ers drafted enough running backs in the McCaffrey era to hit on a couple of serviceable backups.
Black, the talk of training camp, logged a cool 28 yards on seven yards per carry in the preseason finale at the Raiders. It was just more of the same from the explosive third-round draft pick out of Indiana, who is largely running away with the RB2 role after consensus boards considered him a reach in April.
Jordan James, a 2025 fifth-rounder, had been out since before the padded portion of camp because of a collision with Fred Warner that fractured his ribs. Upon his return to practice over the weekend, James found himself behind in what had promised to be an interesting position battle.

#shanahan #jordan #preseason

Adorned in rhinestones and elevating her 5-foot stature with sky-high heels and voluminous blonde wigs, Dolly Parton often joked, "it costs a lot of money to look this cheap!"
Parton's looks on stage and off reflected both her Tennessee roots and her embodiment of over-the-top feminine glamour, an aesthetic articulated in her album **** le and self-anointed nickname "Backwoods Barbie." She was rarely seen without long acrylic nails, a full face of makeup, and heapings of glitter.
The prolific musician, actor and philanthropist, who died on Tuesday at 80 years old, always had a tongue-in-cheek response to criticisms about her larger-than-life sense of style. She quipped about her hair being a fire hazard, would play her hit '9 to 5' with nothing but her fire red acrylic nails as the instrument, and she unabashedly loved flashy clothes: shoulder pads, plunging necklines, a cinched waist, lace were all sartorial non-negotiables for the singer. But she paired it with a keen sense of self-awareness that only made her devout fanbase love her more.
Parton's massive, voluminous blonde wigs were classic Dolly — and, she once joked, a "fire hazard." - Richard McCaffrey/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
"When I moved to Nashville in 1964, I already had some ideas about what I wanted to look like onstage — and off," she wrote in her book "Behind the Seams" in 2023. "Country stars had to have big hair and some sparkles, and you had to have a Cadillac. I had the big hair but not yet the Cadillac — or enough sparkles." She related to the clothes worn by famous fixtures on stage of the Grand Ole Opry, like Jean Shepard and didn't shy away from the unconventional things that influenced her, telling People she even took inspiration from the famously risqué Frederick's of Hollywood catalogs she flipped through when she was young.

#FIRE #voluminous #look

The Washington Commanders' 2025 season was a complete 180-degree turn from their 2024 season. In 2024, the Commanders made their first NFC Championship appearance in over 30 years. Jayden Daniels earned Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, and the Commanders looked like an entirely different team than what we had seen in the previous 25 years.
Then came 2025, which we won't rehash here. It wasn't pretty, so Adam Peters set out to make changes during free agency. His early focus was on the defensive side of the ball, as it should have been, and the improvement on that side of the ball is already visible. He spent less time on the offense, but did make some changes, including signing Stefon Diggs during training camp.
The Commanders have a ton of depth at wide receiver in 2026, giving Jayden Daniels plenty of tools to work with. Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer recently noted that depth in his review of the Commanders' 2026 training camp practices.
One thing that'll certainly help Daniels is Washington's depth at receiver. The Commanders believe they have eight NFL-quality receivers in camp, which will force tough decisions in a couple of weeks. Terry McLaurin, without last year's contract drama, is back to being Terry McLaurin. Interestingly, the difference-maker here has been Stefon Diggs, who's immediately stepped into a leadership role, one he deftly handled last year in New England, and set a high bar for the room (as McLaurin always has). Among the young guys, Luke McCaffrey's taken another step, and rookie Antonio Williams is one to watch, already capable of playing both the Z (split end) and F (slot) positions, which have made him a really good fit for the new system.
When it comes time for final 53-man roster cuts, the Commanders are going to have some serious decisions to make. Stefon Diggs and Terry McLaurin are the anchors in the room. Luke McCaffrey, Antonio Williams, Treylon Burks, Jaylin Lane, and the rest of the receivers in the room are doing an excellent job of making a case for themselves. Unfortunately, not all of them will make the final roster.

#stefon #camp

It turns out San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey's injury was much ado about nothing. Instead, his prolonged absence was part of a plan.
McCaffrey missed the last couple of weeks and both preseason games with what the team labeled as "tightness." The vagueness and unwillingness to specify where the running back was having an issue led to some consternation that perhaps the problem was bigger than the team was letting on.
It turns out is was not a problem at all.
ESPN's Nick Wagoner on Sunday asked McCaffrey about the All-Pro's absence after McCaffrey returned to practice. McCaffrey said this was all part of the plan going into camp.
"Obviously when you don't practice, the way the media works now it's a firestorm," McCaffrey said via Wagoner. "But this was kind of part of the plan from the jump was to ramp up pretty big, get nine, 10 practices in, kind of come back down and then ramp back up so we're fresh for the duration. Our staff's done a great job of coming up with specific plans. And again, I feel great. I feel fresh, and it's good to be back out there."

#part

The Atlanta Falcons may not be all that talented compared to the competition, at least if we're going by the new positional rankings from ESPN which have them placed 30th at quarterback and just 26th overall.
Where the Falcons are best they are truly special, though.
The latest evidence here is the top-25 players under 25 years old from Mike Jones at The Athletic, where two Atlanta stars made the cut and another earned an honorable mention.
Naturally, superstar running back Bijan Robinson ranked highest, coming in at No. 9 on his list, one spot below Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua and one ahead of Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner.
"One of the best all-around weapons in the league, Robinson last season topped the 1,400-yard rushing mark for the second straight year, and he added 820 receiving yards on 79 catches. Robinson edged out Christian McCaffrey in all-purpose yards (2,298 to 2,126) to lead all offensive players."

#robinson #espn #mike

We're back with more preseason reactions. I had my full team-by-team takeaways from Week 1 of the preseason here, and I'll update this week's action after watching the All 22 throughout the next couple of days. I have my own fantasy football draft this weekend with the boys in San Diego, so my reactions will be more delayed this time around. Expect a big update on Monday. Thanks for hanging in there.
Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2026 NFL season
Some key starters rested, but Brock Purdy and the starting offense had a 10-play drive to start the game. Deebo Samuel Sr. and Demarcus Robinson opened in 2-WR sets, while De'Zhaun Stribling played in 3-WR sets initially. He once again dominated targets. Stribling had a great comeback route, a quick out against off coverage and was on the receiving end of a perfect rep on a dig route where he snapped things off cleanly before hands catching the pass in stride while in traffic. If he would've caught his stutter-and-go touchdown up the sideline from the slot, Stribling would've been a Round 6 selection in a hurry. There's overwhelming evidence that the 49ers love him. He has already won the inside-outside hybrid Jauan Jennings role, and there's room for him to quickly be a 2-WR set starter and fantasy-relevant player early on. Samuel hasn't stood out. His ADP is at 123.7 (up 13.3 spots over the last seven days).
Kyle Shanahan was roasted for taking Stribling where he did (33rd overall), but he was also questioned for drafting RB Kaelon Black in the third round. Well, Black was excellent on Thursday, to the point that I believe he's already won the valuable Christian McCaffrey backup role. Black had two key pass protection reps versus blitzers, and this is something that also stood out on his college tape at Indiana. He also was flawless in picking the right hole with the right pacing on his rush attempts. His play speed is better than his time speed because he makes confident, quick decisions. He also finished a couple of runs by flattening defenders. We'll see if Jordan James can return from injury in time to make this a real competition, but for now, Black looks like a draftable player in fantasy football. If you think CMC is missing time, you should be drafting Black. It's as simple as that.
The starters rested, and the second-team offense had extensive run (26 snaps). Of note, WR Tre Tucker was included with the resting starters, while offseason signee Jalen Nailor needed to play the first three drives. As I wrote last week, Tucker was the starter in their 1-WR set look as well, so it's probably time to simply rank Tucker ahead of Nailor as the more proven outside receiver. Meanwhile, Jack Bech was even more buried. He only played four snaps in the first three drives with Nailor, and in total, he played 11-of-16 snaps in the slot. It's possible that a majority of his playing time will come in the less valuable 3-WR sets.

#stribling #tucker #team

As the San Francisco 49ers gear up for another preseason game with the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night, they undoubtedly have bigger fish to fry.
First and foremost at the moment is the ongoing status of superstar running back Christian McCaffrey. The tailback is currently dealing with undisclosed tightness and has missed a week of practice and running heading into Thursday night's exhibition, where he will obviously not play. Head coach Kyle Shanahan had to clarify that McCaffrey's status has nothing to do with dissatisfaction with his current contract, especially after recent monster extensions for Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs.
So, what's the deal? When might McCaffrey actually come back to the 49ers?
For what it's worth, a return seems imminent. Why do I say that? Shanahan maintained that McCaffrey likely would've already practiced earlier this week if the 49ers weren't engaging in joint practices with the Chargers. But because those joint practices with other teams are so physical, the 49ers elected to remain cautious rather than unnecessarily push their arguably best player.
That timeline seems promising! After playing in just four games in 2024, McCaffrey came back and played in all 17 games last season for the 49ers. San Francisco is undoubtedly hoping his 2026 output resembles his 2025, not his disappointing 2024.

#running

Saquon Barkley was among a group of running backs who took part in a Zoom call in 2023 to discuss the depressed market for their position.
As recently as last season, Barkley was the only running back averaging more than $20 million annually. Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs and Jonathan Taylor have all signed deals recently that put them at $22 million or more per season.
Barkley, who has an annual average of $20.6 million, ranks below all three now.
"I love it. That's how it's supposed to be," Barkley said Thursday, via Zach Berman of TheAthletic.com. "Christian [McCaffrey] did it before me. I did it after Christian. And now we have three in a row. I look forward to the next guys to do it. It was like that for every other position besides running back. You can see that coming back to life. Those guys are very deserving of it. They're ***** uva players, make a lot of impact in games for their teams. Their teams are different when they're not on the field. Hopefully in the next 5-10 years, it keeps going higher. That's how it's supposed to go."

#season

Why you should — and shouldn't — draft Christian McCaffrey in 2026 fantasy football originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
If you've been playing fantasy football long enough, chances are you've faced the dilemma of whether to draft Christian McCaffrey.
The latest tightness saga to come out of 49ers training camp has fantasy drafters feeling nervous about selecting the 30-year-old running back in the first round.
Though the Niners claim it's simply precautionary, the ghost of 2024 CMC still haunts us all.
Until McCaffrey retires from football, we'll be battling this decision in our heads every draft season. It's quite simple: when you draft CMC, you either get the best player in fantasy football or light your first-round pick on fire.

#Football

49ers defensive end Nick Bosa has not practiced since Aug. 3 with soreness and tendinitis in his surgically repaired right knee.
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan did not provide a timeline for Bosa on Tuesday.
"He's making a lot of progress," Shanahan said, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com. "He has a lot less irritation, soreness, and tendinitis—whatever you want to call it—than he had last week. So we think he's going in the right direction, and we see him similar to Christian [McCaffrey]."
Bosa injured his knee in a Sept. 21 game against the Cardinals and underwent surgery Sept. 26.
Bosa, 28, has not had a double-digit sack season since 2023, which is the last time he played all 17 games. He has played only 17 games over the past two seasons, totaling 11 sacks.

#sept #tendinitis #right #knee