Mason (shoulder) practiced in a limited fashion Thursday, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
For a second session in a row to begin Week 8 prep, Mason is handling a reduced workload due to a lingering shoulder issue, giving him just one more opportunity to get back to full participation Friday ahead of Sunday's contest against the Cowboys. Assuming he's cleared to play this weekend -- either on Friday's injury report or 90 minutes before an 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff -- he'll serve as the 49ers' lead runner for an eighth consecutive game in place of Christian McCaffrey (Achilles), who may return following the team's Week 9 bye.
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49ers' Jordan Mason: RBs to Start
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This could be the last time we see Mason in a featured role, and he's worth using as a No. 2 running back in all leagues against Dallas. San Francisco has a bye in Week 9, and Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) could return in Week 10. Let's hope that motivates Mason to have a dominant performance against the Cowboys, who are No. 4 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. Four running backs have scored at least 18.9 PPR points against Dallas this season, and Mason will hopefully have his fourth game this year with at least 17.4 PPR points.
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49ers' Jordan Mason: No injury designation
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Mason (shoulder) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Chiefs, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.
Mason will return to his lead role in the San Francisco backfield after an AC joint sprain in his left shoulder kept him off the field for all but one snap during the second half of last Thursday's win at Seattle. He's been practicing all week, albeit in a a non-contact jersey. That does hint at some risk of complications in-game, but the upside generally outweighs the downside risk when dealing with a player that's provided such strong production. Meanwhile, fellow 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) has yet to resume practicing.
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49ers' Jordan Mason: Still using non-contact jersey
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Mason (shoulder) is practicing in a non-contact jersey Friday, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
It's about the best fantasy managers could hope for, eight days after Mason suffered an AC joint sprain in his left shoulder during last Thursday's 36-24 win over the Seahawks. Isaac Guerendo and Patrick Taylor split playing time with Mason getting just one snap after halftime, and one of the possibilities for the upcoming game against Kansas City is Mason being active but taking fewer touches than usual. Mason was a limited practice participant Wednesday and Thursday and now appears likely to be listed as questionable on the final injury report.
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49ers' Jordan Mason: Another limited showing
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Mason (shoulder) practiced in a limited capacity Thursday, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Mason continues to deal with the AC joint sprain that he suffered in his left shoulder last Thursday in Seattle. Per Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com, Mason has been wearing a blue non-contact jersey in practice this week, which resulted in a cap in his reps. Mason thus has only one more opportunity to get back to full participation Friday before the 49ers potentially hand him a designation for Sunday's matchup with the Chiefs. If Mason is at all inhibited or even sidelined this weekend, Isaac Guerendo would be the biggest beneficiary out of San Francisco's backfield, while Patrick Taylor likely would pick up a few touches along the way.
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49ers' Jordan Mason: AC joint sprain confirmed
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Coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed Friday that Mason suffered an AC joint sprain in his left shoulder during Thursday's 36-24 win at Seattle and is considered day-to-day, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Mason exited in the second quarter Thursday after landing on his left shoulder at the end of a carry and clearly favoring it as he went to the 49ers' sideline. While he was deemed questionable to return, he logged one play after halftime before departing the game for good. The 49ers never gave Mason a designation after that, and he was seen on the sideline wearing his helmet the rest of the second half, but Isaac Guerendo handled most of the RB reps for San Francisco down the stretch. The 49ers don't play again until Sunday, Oct. 20 against the Chiefs, so Mason will have extended time to try to get healthy ahead of that contest.
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49ers' Jordan Mason: Returns to action
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Mason (shoulder) returned to the field to begin the second half of Thursday's game against Seattle, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Mason was forced to the locker room midway through the second quarter with a shoulder injury. He didn't return to the field before halftime but logged the 49ers' first carry of the second half.
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49ers' Jordan Mason: Suffers shoulder injury
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Mason is questionable to return to Thursday's game against the Seahawks due to a shoulder injury, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Mason walked off the field with trainers after a 14-yard run midway through the second quarter. The severity of the issue isn't clear, but Isaac Guerendo will take over as the 49ers' lead back while Mason is sidelined. After being evaluated in the locker room, Mason was spotted on the sideline with his helmet, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com.
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49ers' Jordan Mason: Loses first fumble of career
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Mason rushed 14 times for 89 yards and caught his lone target of nine yards while coughing up a fumble in Sunday's 24-23 loss to Arizona.
Mason lost a fumble on his final touch in the fourth quarter of Sunday's narrow loss. The rare folly cost San Francisco dearly in the defeat, but it was also the third-year back's first lost fumble of his career. Mason still produced well on a per-touch basis and remains the unquestioned starter until Christian McCaffrey (calf/Achilles) returns from injury. A road tilt against the Seahawks on Thursday Night Football is on tap for Mason and the 49ers in Week 6.
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49ers' Jordan Mason: Continues to deliver in fantasy
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Mason rattled off 24 carries for 123 yards and a touchdown while adding 37 receiving yards on two receptions (three targets) in Sunday's 30-13 win over New England.
Mason continued to dominated the backfield touches in San Francisco sans starter Christian McCaffrey (calf/Achilles). The only other active running back to receive a carry in Sunday's run-heavy gameplan was rookie Isaac Guerendo, who fumbled that carry away for the 49ers' lone turnover. Mason has provided 20+ carries, 100+ rushing yards with at least one touchdown in three of his four starts. The Georgia Tech product will make at least two more starts while CMC continues to recover on injured reserve, making Mason a top-tier play against the Cardinals next Sunday.
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49ers' Jordan Mason: Nets 88 yards on 21 touches
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Mason rushed 19 times for 77 yards and caught both of his targets for 11 yards in Sunday's 27-24 loss to the Rams.
Mason failed to extend his touchdown streak to three games in Sunday's loss, but the fill-in starter still managed to provide fantasy managers with solid production despite his team's loss. The 25-year-old has rushed for 324 yards and two touchdowns while filling in for Christian McCaffrey (calf/Achilles) through three games this season. Mason remains a strong fantasy play heading into Sunday's tilt against the Patriots.
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49ers' Jordan Mason: In line to start on MNF
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Mason is slated to be the 49ers' starting running back Monday versus the Jets with Christian McCaffrey (calf/Achilles) inactive for the contest, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
Mason will step in for McCaffrey for at least one game due to the calf/Achilles injury that has plagued the latter since early August. In 33 regular-season games in his two-year career, Mason has averaged 5.6 YPC on 83 rushes, hauled in three of four targets for 31 yards and scored four rushing TDs. Elsewhere in the backfield, Isaac Guerendo and Patrick Taylor are the 49ers' other available options.
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49ers' Jordan Mason: Week 1 Waiver Priority List
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Mason is now the No. 2 running back in San Francisco behind Christian McCaffrey with Elijah Mitchell (hamstring) out for the season. That makes Mason one of the ultimate lottery tickets this year. McCaffrey is 28, coming off a season with over 400 total touches, including the playoffs, and he had a calf injury in training camp. Mason could be a league winner if McCaffrey were to miss any time.
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49ers' Jordan Mason: Replacing Mitchell as No. 2 RB
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Mason's backfield mate Elijah Mitchell (undisclosed) was placed on season-ending injured reserve Tuesday, David Lombardi of The Athletic reports.
Reports of Mason challenging Mitchell for the second spot on the depth chart actually predate Mitchell's injury troubles this summer, with the Niners apparently impressed by Mason's combination of size (5-foot-11, 223 pounds) and passing-down skills. He's no match for Mitchell in terms of speed, but that may not matter much for fantasy if Mason ever finds himself in the starting lineup under coach Kyle Shanahan. While Christian McCaffrey (calf) seems to be on track for Week 1 against the Jets, there's always considerable injury risk for a running back that piles up snaps and touches the way CMC does. While unlikely to have standalone value while McCaffrey is healthy, Mason is one of the more valuable backup RBs to stash on a fantasy bench -- and he should remain so unless rookie fourth-round pick Isaac Guerendo makes a push up the depth chart after missing most of the summer with a hamstring injury.
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49ers' Jordan Mason: Star of opening drive Saturday
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Mason rushed six times for 34 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's preseason tilt against the Titans.
Unquestioned starter Christian McCaffrey (calf) sat out Saturday's preseason opener along with the rest of San Francisco's star players, affording Mason the opportunity to start the team's exhibition opener against Tennessee. The 25-year-old was featured heavily on the 49ers' opening drive and wound up scoring the only first-half touchdown for his club. Mason's strong start to the preseason schedule has the running back in a position to seize the primary backup role behind CMC, with Elijah Mitchell (hamstring) and rookie Isaac Guerendo (hamstring) both missing Saturday's contest to injury.
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49ers' Jordan Mason: Working with starters
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Mason is getting regular first-team reps while Christian McCaffrey (calf) and Elijah Mitchell (hamstring) recover from injuries, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
The opportunity is particularly interesting because there were reports of Mason challenging Mitchell for the second spot on the depth chart even before Mitchell and McCaffrey suffered their respective injuries. Mitchell's speed and running ability are proven commodities, but Mason may have advantages in terms of pass blocking and receiving skills, and nearly any player has the edge over Mitchell when it comes to durability. Maiocco notes that Mason has "greatly improved" his route-running and hands, making a case to be more involved on offense after taking nearly three-fourths of his snaps on special teams the past two years. That said, the injuries to McCaffrey and Mitchell aren't considered serious, so it's still possible Mason enters Week 1 mostly playing special teams. The San Francisco backfield also has rookie fourth-round pick Isaac Guerendo, who has missed all of training camp with a hamstring injury.
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49ers' Jordan Mason: Could push Elijah Mitchell
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Mason has made a strong impression on coach Kyle Shanahan this summer and could challenge Elijah Mitchell for the No. 2 RB role, Jordan Elliott of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Mason initially made the team as an undrafted rookie in 2022 and has since seen action in 33 of 34 regular-season games, logging 181 snaps on offense and 494 on special teams. He's thus far remained behind Mitchell when both have been healthy, but it's possible the Niners would prefer Mason in the backup role due to his advantages in size (5-foot-11, 223 pounds), durability and blocking. Mitchell is much faster but also smaller (5-foot-10, 200 pounds), and he has nearly as many missed games (24) as receptions (28) through three NFL seasons. The addition of rookie fourth-round pick Isaac Guerendo (hamstring) means a trade could even be in play, with Mitchell being the main candidate as he heads into the final season of his rookie contract. Of course, none of them will play much on offense unless Christian McCaffrey misses time with an injury.
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49ers' Jordan Mason: Gains 48 yards as RB2
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Mason took six carries for 36 yards and caught his only target for 12 yards in Sunday's 21-20 loss to the Rams.
MVP hopeful Christian McCaffrey (calf) was rested Week 18, so primary backup Elijah Mitchell started Sunday's tilt. Mason wound up logging 27 snaps on offense (44 percent) to Mitchell's 32 (52 percent). While both tailbacks nearly split McCaffrey's playing time Sunday, Mitchell (14-52-1) wound up having more plays executed for him and also nabbed the only touchdown the backfield duo would produce in the loss. Mason wraps up the 2023 campaign with numbers (40-206-3) similar to his rookie year (43-258-1) while also serving as one of the 49ers' top coverage men on special teams.
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49ers' Jordan Mason: Sleeper RBs
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There's a good chance Mason could be the lead running back for the 49ers in Week 18 against the Rams, and I would use him as a flex option in all leagues in that scenario. Christian McCaffrey (calf) has already been ruled out, and I'd be surprised if the 49ers played Elijah Mitchell much after he missed three of the past four games with a knee injury. Tyrion Davis-Price could be added off the practice squad to share touches with Mason, who has four games this season with at least four carries, and he scored a touchdown in three of them. This isn't an easy matchup against the Rams, but they also are resting players in preparation for the postseason. Keep an eye on what develops prior to Sunday, but Mason has plenty of upside if Mitchell joins McCaffrey on the sidelines in Week 18.
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49ers' Jordan Mason: Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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There's a good chance Mason could be the lead running back for the 49ers in Week 18 against the Rams, and I would use him as a flex option in all leagues in that scenario. Christian McCaffrey (calf) has already been ruled out, and I'd be surprised if the 49ers played Elijah Mitchell much after he missed three of the past four games with a knee injury. Tyrion Davis-Price could be added off the practice squad to share touches with Mason, who has four games this season with at least four carries, and he scored a touchdown in three of them. This isn't an easy matchup against the Rams, but they also might be resting players in preparation for the postseason. Keep an eye on what develops before Sunday, but Mason has plenty of upside if Mitchell joins McCaffrey on the sidelines in Week 18. Now, if we find out that Mitchell will play in Week 18, I'll replace Mason with Mitchell in the column later in the week.
