Khalil Herbert has been released by the 49ers, per all three sources, with two carrying full confidence in the report. That effectively erases whatever fantasy value he was carrying in San Francisco's backfield — any late-round dart throw or handcuff appeal tied to Christian McCaffrey's timeshare there is now moot for draft purposes. If you had Herbert stashed on a bench or watchlist for that role, wipe him off your board entirely; there's no path to touches with this roster.

For draft prep, treat Herbert as a non-factor unless and until he signs elsewhere. He's shown flashes in past seasons as a change-of-pace back, so if he lands with a team that has a thin or unproven depth chart, he could re-emerge as a late-round speculative add worth monitoring closer to the season. Right now, though, there's no landing spot confirmed in these reports, so drafting him on the assumption of a role anywhere is not supportable.

Actionable takeaway: drop or avoid drafting Herbert in any format until new team news surfaces. This is a clean, high-confidence release — not a benching or a minor context tweak — so you can act on it directly without hedging. Keep an eye on the wire over the next few weeks; a depth-chart-friendly signing could turn him back into a useful late-round or waiver-wire flier, but until that happens, he's off your draft rankings.

Herbert's release confirms he never carved out a role behind Christian McCaffrey and is essentially droppable in all formats — he was already buried on the depth chart and this move ends any speculative stash value. For the 49ers backfield, this slightly clarifies the RB2 picture: Jordan Mason and Isaac Guerendo remain the primary handcuffs to McCaffrey, and Herbert's departure removes even a marginal competitor for camp/practice-squad reps, though it doesn't meaningfully boost either player's redraft value since McCaffrey is expected to be healthy and the lead back when active.