Should I Start Jordan James?

Wednesday, July 29, 10:36 AM

San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan James (rib) suffered a fractured rib in Monday's training camp practice and is set to miss some time, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN. Injuries are striking the 49ers hard early in training camp, and James is the latest victim. The 22-year-old came into camp as the favorite for backup duties behind the oft-injured Christian McCaffrey, and while he should still be ready for the start of the 2026 regular season, his injury could open the door for third-round rookie Kaelon Black to slide into a more prominent change-of-pace role early on behind CMC. The former fifth-rounder last year from the University of Oregon appeared in three regular-season games as a rookie, but he didn't factor in at all on offense. James' early training camp injury makes him a less appealing handcuff option in deeper fantasy leagues to begin the 2026 campaign, but the jury is still out on who will win the RB2 job going into Week 1.