NFL Rumors: 49ers' George Kittle Dealing with Hamstring Injury; Status vs. Rams TBD

George Kittle could have to miss his first game of the season as the San Francisco 49ers take on the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Kittle did not practice Thursday due to a hamstring injury.

Schefter previously reported the tight end was dealing with hamstring tightness. The star tight end's status for Sunday's matchup is now to be determined.

Should Kittle be absent for Sunday's game, it would mean just another star out for the 49ers.

San Francisco star running back Christian McCaffrey was placed on injured reserve last week due to calf soreness and Achilles tendinitis and will miss at least the next three games. Head coach Kyle Shanahan indicated that there's no real timeline for McCaffrey's return at this point.

"Nobody knows," Shanahan said, per ESPN"s Nick Wagoner. "We're dealing with tendinitis so, not one person knows. He doesn't know. We don't know and [we will] take it day by day."

Star wide receiver Deebo Samuel is also expected to miss "a couple weeks" after suffering a calf strain. Samuel leads the 49ers in receiving yards with 164 through two games.

San Francisco's other top receiving option, Brandon Aiyuk, has had a slow start to the year, recording just 28 receiving yards and 43 receiving yards in Weeks 1 and 2, respectively. With Samuel out and Kittle potentially sidelined as well, the Niners will need a big game from Aiyuk, who inked a four-year, $120 million contract in August.

Behind Kittle on the depth chart is Eric Saubert, who San Francisco added this offseason. Saubert has a pair of receptions for 26 receiving yards so far this season.

Kittle, one of the top tight ends in the NFL over the past few seasons, has 116 receiving yards and a touchdown through two games. He's coming off a season that saw him record 1,020 receiving yards and six touchdowns.

The defending NFC champions are dealing with the injury bug early this year, but the good news is they have plenty of time to get healthy before the playoffs. Still, the 49ers would like to avoid a second-straight loss this week.