NFL Player News

Kittle was the team’s top pass catcher with Deebo Samuel sidelined with an illness and Brandon Aiyuk going down with a potentially serious knee injury. Kittle led the team in every receiving category and came down with a 33-yard pass from Brock Purdy — one of the only big plays of the day for the struggling San Francisco offense. Kittle, with at least five catches in four of his past five games, will be an elite fantasy option in Week 8 against a bad Dallas coverage unit.

Cowing saw second half playing time after Brandon Aiyuk went down with a serious knee injury. The speedster came down with a 41-yard grab from Brock Purdy — the biggest play of the day for the struggling San Francisco offense. Cowing could see a boost in playing time if Aiyuk is out in Week 8 and beyond. Most likely he’ll function as a deep ball specialist.

Gray’s usage in the Chiefs offense has been quietly solid of late. He now has ten catches over the team’s past three games. Against the Niners, Gray ran a route on 18 of Patrick Mahomes’ 33 drop backs. He profiles as a sneaky option in deep leagues.

Hardman took a carry to the house from 20 yards out in the second half against a reeling Niners defense. Hardman would have had another score — a receiving touchdown reminiscent of his game winner in last year’s Super Bowl — had he not slipped off the line of scrimmage. We could see Hardman’s role in the run-first KC offense grow next week against the Raiders if JuJu Smith-Schuster (hamstring) is sidelined. He ran just 11 routes on 33 Chiefs drop backs against the 49ers.

Newman was hit hard in the neck/head while trying to make a tackle on an interception. Team doctors and teammates immediately surrounding him on the field. Medical personnel stabilized his neck and put him on a back board, indicating there was concern about his spine. Newman will be taken to Pittsburgh Medical Center, the local level 1 trauma center.

Steeler again played well behind lead back Kareem Hunt. Samaje Perine had two rushing attempts and caught his only target. If Hunt were to miss time, Steele and Perine would likely split the team’s backfield workload.

Perine saw just one target on the day. He spelled lead back Kareem Hunt a couple times in the first half but was otherwise uninvolved in the run-first Kansas City offense. Carson Steele, meanwhile, had six rushes. Perine for now is nothing more than a bench stash.

Worthy led the team in targets but was once again not on the same page with Patrick Mahomes. JuJu Smith-Schuster’s early exit from the game forced Worthy into a more prominent role. It didn’t matter for the speedy rookie. If JuJu misses time with his hamstring injury, Worthy could regularly see a good number of targets along with Travis Kelce. Whether he can do anything with the opportunity is another question entirely. Worthy, who has not had more than three receptions in the game all season, will be a top-50 play in Week 8 against Vegas.

It remains to be seen whether Stone will undergo an MRI for further diagnosis but the X-ray results are good news. We will report back as soon as possible with relevant updates.

Patrick Mahomes and Kelce continue to not put up fantasy relevant numbers and it just doesn’t matter for the Chiefs as they go for a Super Bowl three-peat. Kelce, who trailed Xavier Worthy in targets, nearly came down with a long reception in double coverage late in the game. Kelce’s usually-gaudy target totals will be suppressed for as long as the Chiefs are a run-first offense. He’ll still be a top-10 fantasy play in Week 8 against the Raiders.

In Pearsall’s NFL debut, he was third on the team in targets and ran a route on 36 of Brock Purdy’s 42 drop backs — a strong route participation rate. Pearsall could be one of the Niners’ top pass catchers in Week 8 against the Cowboys with Brandon Aiyuk likely done for the season with a knee injury. He should be picked up in most 12-team formats and all deep leagues.