49ers Kick Tires on Three RBs After Jordan James Rib Fracture
San Francisco worked out Raheem Blackshear, Khalil Herbert and Owen Wright on Thursday as James nurses a broken rib.
Most proven of the three workout arms; monitor if SF signs him.
- Jordan James suffered a rib fracture
- SF worked out three RBs Thursday
- Herbert: 1,957 career rush yards, 9 TDs
- Blackshear: 203 rush yards in 41 games
- Wright: 6 rush yards on 3 carries in 4 games
A rib fracture to Jordan James has San Francisco poking around the free-agent bin. The 49ers brought in three running backs for workouts Thursday, per the NFL's personnel notice: Raheem Blackshear, Khalil Herbert and Owen Wright. That's a clear signal the team wants insurance while James — who logged 0 PPR points across three games in 2025 and sits unranked in our model — heals up.
None of the three is a household name, but there's a clear pecking order in terms of NFL production. Herbert is the résumé of the group: a 2021 sixth-round pick out of the Bears, he's played 63 games with 13 starts and racked up 1,957 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, plus 54 catches for 316 yards and two scores across stops with Chicago, Cincinnati and the Jets.
Blackshear and Wright are further down the depth chart. Blackshear came in undrafted with Buffalo in 2022 and has 203 rushing yards, three touchdowns and 16 catches over 41 games with the Panthers. Wright, an undrafted signing by Baltimore in 2023, has appeared in just four career games between the Ravens and Buccaneers with a grand total of six rushing yards on three carries.
What It Means for the Backfield
This is a depth move, not a lead-back search. The 49ers aren't holding auditions to hand someone 18 touches a week — they're topping off the room while James is sidelined and letting the incumbent rotation carry the load. A workout is not a signing, so temper expectations before anyone rushes to the waiver wire.
James himself was never a fantasy asset to begin with. Three games, zero PPR points, no ranking in our system — his injury doesn't crater anybody's lineup because nobody was starting him. The story here is roster mechanics, not a shift in touch share you can exploit.
The Fantasy Takeaway
For now, do nothing. If San Francisco signs Herbert, he's the only one of these three with the track record to matter in a pinch, and even then you're talking deep-league handcuff territory at best. Keep James on your do-not-add list, tuck the 49ers backfield into your watch column, and revisit only when the team actually inks a body and clarifies the pecking order.
