NFL Player News

James caught all four of his targets for 66 yards in Saturday's preseason win over Kansas City.

James led all 49ers wideouts in receptions and yards Saturday, as the team is giving him a good look to determine what role (if any) he will serve this season. The 23-year-old appeared to be on the bubble early this preseason, but Trent Taylor's (thumb) injury could open the door for him to start the year on the 53-man roster. Even if he can't claim Taylor's projected slot role, James would likely provide usefulness as a return man if he makes the cut.

Smith-Schuster caught four of five targets for 37 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's preseason win over the Titans.

Smith-Schuster got his first taste of action as the true top wideout with Ben Roethlisberger under center. The duo was on the field for the first quarter, and they hit paydirt on the final play of their last drive together. With Antonio Brown in Oakland, the 23-year-old will default to Big Ben's top receiving option in 2019. Smith-Schuster already broke out with 1,426 receiving yards and seven touchdowns last season, so it will be interesting to see if he can build on that, or if the absence of Brown will result in less room to operate. Whatever the case may be, the volume of targets will certainly be there for Smith-Schuster this season.

Raymond hauled in all five of his targets for 58 yards in the team's third preseason contest against the Steelers on Sunday.

Raymond's name has popped up on a few occasions this preseason, and his performance in the team's third exhibition contest was no exception. Late in the game, he hauled in two long receptions of 21 and 23 yards respectively, and was the only receiver on the team to top a pair of receptions against the Steelers. Raymond is making a push to earn a roster spot out of camp, but even if he does so he has a long way to go before he sees consistent targets.

Cracraft caught two of three passes for nine yards and added a five-yard punt return during Saturday's 10-6 preseason loss to the Rams.

The most significant moment impacting Cracraft's odds of making the roster might not even have involved Cracraft. It came when rookie Kelvin McKnight muffed his lone punt-return attempt. Cracraft and McKnight have each fielded five punts this preseason, with Cracraft averaging a modest, yet team-leading, 4.4 yards per return. Cracraft isn't a flashy returner, nor is he likely to make a big impact at receiver, but he's currently the safest bet to make the team as WR6 given Denver's desperate need to find stability at punt returner.

Humphries (leg) hauled in one of two targets for nine yards in the team's third preseason contest against the Steelers on Sunday.

Humphries missed the team's second preseason game with a leg injury, but was well enough to return Sunday. He played with the first team and was targeted once by Marcus Mariota, though the pass fell to the ground. Two possessions later he hauled in his only reception, a pass delivered by Ryan Tannehill. Most importantly, Humphries appears healthy once again and should work as the team's primary slot receiver this season.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Pettis played into the fourth quarter of Saturday's preseason win over the Chiefs because he's still in the process of competing for a role, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports. "He's still trying to earn a role on this team and still is trying to show what he's capable of doing ... consistently," Shanahan said.

Shanahan made similar comments a couple weeks back, noting that Pettis would need to earn his starting job. The second-year wideout has been used as a starter throughout the preseason, but he also played deep into Saturday's contest, ultimately catching three of five targets for 36 yards (his only receptions all preseason). Given the way he finished his rookie year, Pettis still seems likely to have spot in the Week 1 starting lineup, though he'll apparently be on a short leash if he doesn't recover from a disappointing summer. The 49ers have a slew of other options at wide receiver, with eight players making a decent case for a spot on the 53-man roster. Trent Taylor's foot injury thins out the competition a bit, but San Francisco still has Marquise Goodwin, Deebo Samuel, Jordan Matthews, Jalen Hurd (back), Kendrick Bourne and Richie James.

Blacknall (undisclosed) became a free agent after reaching an injury settlement with the Dolphins, according to the NFL's Official Transaction Log.

Blacknall reverted back to injured reserve after clearing waivers, but he'll head to the open market after reaching an injury settlement.

Harry (leg) hasn't practiced fully since getting banged up in the Patriots' Aug. 8 preseason opener, ESPN's Mike Reiss reports.

The first-rounder is obviously part of the Patriots' long-term plans, but he'll need to step up the pace in practice in a hurry to earn much of an early season role, especially with Julian Edelman back from a thumb injury and Josh Gordon having been reinstated from his suspension.

Shepard (thumb) is in line to be ready for the Giants' Week 1 visit to Dallas, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

After fracturing the tip of his left thumb in the Giants' second practice of training camp, Shepard missed the entire preseason, as expected. By the time preparation for the regular-season opener starts after Labor Day weekend, he'll have more than two weeks of contact reps under his belt, backing up Raanan's contention that Shepard will be one of Eli Manning's primary weapons in the passing attack Week 1.

Coach Sean McDermott said Foster has been tending to a toe injury that he suffered during the offseason program, Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic reports.

The issue hasn't kept Foster off the field in training camp or preseason games. That said, he's been relegated to reserve units, totaling one catch (on four targets) for 14 yards in the first exhibition before being blanked on just 13 snaps on offense and 17 on special teams in the next two games. His inability to regain full health has taken a toll on his standing in the receiving corps, which is headed by John Brown, Cole Beasley and Zay Jones. On the other hand, perhaps biding his time will help Foster emerge as a viable option in the second half of 2019, like he did last season.