Fantasy Football Player Notes

It seems like the 49ers-Rams game was a lot longer than a week ago. When there is never a dull moment in the NFL, a lot has happened since. Going back to last week, we saw a significant shift in usage compared to previous years. Most notably, rookie Kaelon Black led the team in rushing attempts with 14. In comparison, McCaffrey had 10 for 68 yards. However, CMC had eight targets to Black's one, showcasing a dominant receiving share out of the backfield. It's hard to say what the split will look like in the future. However, if Black continues to split the rushing attempts near 50-50, CMC remains an RB1 but would fall out of top-5 territory. Thankfully, they play the Dolphins this week, who were destroyed by Ashton Jeanty for 147 total yards and two touchdowns.

Kaelon Black operated as the 49ers' Blake Corum in Week 1 as an early-down complement to Christian McCaffrey. Black played 43.8% of the snaps finishing with 15 touches and 70 total yards (65 rushing yards). He wasn't impressive as a rusher, though. Among 33 qualifying rushers in Week 1, he was seventh in rushing success rate, but I attribute that to the 3.5 yards before contact per attempt that the offensive line generated for him. Among that same sample of backs, he was 32nd in yards after contact per attempt, and he didn't force a missed tackle. None of it probably matters in Week 2, though. Black will likely see a similar workload in Week 2 as I expect the 49ers to blow out the Dolphins, which means Black will get plenty of garbage time usage. Miami's run defense was predictably terrible in Week 1 as well. In Week 1, Miami allowed the seventh-highest explosive run rate, the 12th-highest rushing success rate, and the sixth-most yards after contact per attempt to backs. Black is a strong flex play for Week 2. Black popped up on the injury report this week with a groin issue. He did manage limited practice sessions on Thursday and Friday this week. He has been listed as questionable.