49ers Missing Their Rookie RB as the Position Thins

By Shane Hallam | Updated on Thu, Jul 31 2025 7:41 PM UTC

49ers rookie RB Jordan James is dealing with a knee issue and has missed most of the practice week. HC Kyle Shanahan said James will be re-evaluated as the week progresses, so a return as early as next week is possible. James had made some early noise in camp while Christian McCaffrey rested, and with little depth behind him after the team cut RB Israel Abanikanda.

What They're Saying

Matt Wagoner of ESPN: "49ers rookie RB Jordan James is dealing with a knee issue. He will be reevaluated as week goes on, per Kyle Shanahan."

2025 Fantasy Football Impact

The setback comes after James had impressed so far in training camp.
The 49ers have a knack for finding late-round and undrafted gems, including Isaac Guerendo, Jordan Mason, and Elijah Mitchell in recent years. All have found success running the ball for the 49ers (with Mason and Mitchell moving on this offseason).

Though the injury doesn’t appear serious, the team added RB Ameer Abdullah to bolster camp depth. The current depth chart lists McCaffrey, Guerendo, and James, followed by Patrick Taylor Jr., UDFA Corey Kiner, and Abdullah.
The knee issue is worth monitoring, especially if more specifics emerge, but for now, it doesn’t appear serious.

Shane Hallam, Writer

Shane has over 20 years of experience creating content and playing every fantasy football format, including redraft, dynasty, devy, C2C, IDP, CFF, and more. He is a multi-year winner of $500 dynasty leagues on the FFPC and a King's Classic Champion. Shane utilizes deep film and scheme study to enhance his fantasy performance. He led the industry in 2024 preseason Kicker Rankings and ranked second in preseason QB Rankings. He also ranked eighth in preseason IDP rankings.