The 49ers enter Sunday’s home opener against the Dolphins with a short list of real concerns and a longer list of players who are simply being managed through the week. The two names that matter most on the final injury report are rookie running back Kaelon Black and kicker Eddy Piñeiro, both listed as questionable. Wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling is out.
San Francisco and Miami kick off at 4:25 p.m. ET on FOX at Levi’s Stadium, and the final status sheet matches both the team’s Week 2 report and the league tracker on NFL.com. The cleanest part of the report is the group that avoided Sunday tags altogether: Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Nick Bosa and Trent Williams all worked through scheduled rest earlier in the week and finished without game designations.
Black’s groin issue is the one that could actually change the backfield math. He was limited Thursday and Friday after first showing up on the report midweek, and he handled a real role in Week 1, carrying 14 times for 65 yards and adding one catch for five yards.
McCaffrey had 10 carries for 68 yards and five receptions for 20 yards in the Rams game, but if Black can’t go, that early-down work has to be redistributed. Jordan James is next up on the depth chart.
Asked Friday about Black’s chances, Shanahan answered with “a questionable amount of optimism,” a line NBC Sports Bay Area carried from the post-practice session. The inactive list still won’t arrive until 90 minutes before kickoff.
Piñeiro’s situation is different, but just as worth watching. He missed practice Wednesday through Friday because of illness, and Shanahan said the team would bring in help while weighing two options.
San Francisco worked out Younghoe Koo and Greg Joseph on Saturday, then signed neither. Matt Maiocco’s reporting, relayed by Niners Wire, is that Piñeiro is expected to kick Sunday, though he remains officially questionable until the inactives are posted.
Stribling’s absence is the one that stretches well beyond this week. He hurt his ankle in Melbourne during San Francisco’s 27-7 win over the Rams, returned to the game, and later needed surgery.
Shanahan said sideline testing ruled out an Achilles tear and a high-ankle sprain, but a later cut showed the injury was worse than it first appeared. “We feel good he’ll get back this season,” Shanahan said after the procedure, and the club has put the recovery at roughly 10 weeks.
He is expected to land on injured reserve.
The rookie did not record a catch in the opener, and his absence affects depth more than target share. Mike Evans had six catches for 49 yards and a touchdown, Deebo Samuel added six catches for 48 yards plus a rushing attempt and a score, and Demarcus Robinson chipped in a 39-yard touchdown on two receptions.
There’s also a favorable matchup note for San Francisco on the other side of the ball. Miami is missing edge rusher Chop Robinson because of a concussion and linebacker Ronnie Harrison Jr. with a hamstring injury.
Both are out. The Dolphins managed just 13 points in a 27-13 loss at Las Vegas last week, while Brock Purdy wasn’t sacked in Melbourne and went 25 of 34 for 205 yards, three touchdowns and a 105.6 rating.
The 49ers’ defense had a strong opener of its own, allowing seven points in Australia, forcing two turnovers and shutting the Rams out after the first quarter. Bosa, Dre Greenlaw, Khalid Kareem, Upton Stout and Keion White all avoided game tags, keeping that unit in play for fantasy purposes as well.
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