Isaac Guerendo

Guerendo suffered hamstring tears two years in a row in college before suffering a Lisfranc injury the third year. In his 2024 rookie year, he missed time with hamstring, groin and foot injuries, and in the season finale suffered an MCL sprain and ankle sprain in the same leg.

Guerendo is RB4 at best on San Francisco's 2026 depth chart — behind McCaffrey, Jordan James, and newly drafted Kaelon Black — after logging zero offensive snaps in all of 2025. Special teams is his only path to the 53-man roster, and Shanahan has given no indication that changes.

Guerendo received zero offensive snaps and zero carries in the entire 2025 season despite averaging 5.0 YPC in 2024, relegated to special teams duty only. The 49ers' acquisition of Brian Robinson Jr. in August 2025 clearly signaled the team does not view Guerendo as part of their offensive plans.

The 49ers used a 3rd-round pick on Kaelon Black in 2026 rather than promoting Guerendo when Brian Robinson departed. San Francisco has explicitly chosen a rookie over their incumbent developmental back, effectively ending Guerendo's path to fantasy relevance in this offense.

If SF commits to a three-down role given recent injuries/departures, Guerendo has standalone RB1/2 upside with significant touches and goal-line opportunities in a high-octane offense.

McCaffrey only played three games in 2020, seven games in 2021 and four games in 2024. If McCaffrey suffers an injury, Guerendo can expect to play 60-75% of the 49ers' offensive snaps, being limited on third downs and running around 15 times per game.

SF's aggressive run scheme under Shanahan in postseason play could elevate Guerendo's value if he earns the primary back role during crucial fantasy weeks.

Christian McCaffrey has a concerning injury history (only 3 games in 2020, 7 in 2021, 4 in 2024) and suffered multiple in-season issues in 2025 including a stinger. If McCaffrey and Robinson both go down, Guerendo could theoretically see opportunity, though Jordan James would likely get first crack.

With two years left on his rookie contract at a low cap number, Guerendo is a viable cut or trade candidate. A move to a thin backfield — even a middling offense — would immediately unlock dynasty relevance that the 49ers' logjam denies him.

A multi-player injury scenario (McCaffrey + James + Black) would force Guerendo into action in one of the NFL's most RB-friendly offenses, but this requires catastrophic depth attrition and Shanahan would need to trust him — a trust that has been entirely absent for 12+ months.