Christian McCaffrey has not made life easy for fantasy football managers this preseason, as he has carried a “questionable” tag throughout the summer. It was reported early in camp that McCaffrey was dealing with a strained calf, and that injury has kept him out of practice through August.
Now, with Week 1 here, fantasy managers are starting to ask questions about McCaffrey’s status. Let’s examine the latest updates and whether there should be any concern that he will miss the San Francisco 49ers’ opener against the New York Jets.
What Is the Latest on Christian McCaffrey’s Injury?
At no point have we heard any major concern being expressed from the 49ers about the calf injury. However, the fact he had not returned to practice as of Thursday has slightly raised a red flag for some fantasy managers.
We should get a better indication this week when San Francisco practices, even if we won’t get an official injury designation until Thursday. Right now, McCaffrey’s estimated return date on Pro Football Network’s injury report is Sept. 9, which is the date of his Week 1 game with the Jets.
The biggest concern here for fantasy managers is that the 49ers play on Monday Night Football, so if McCaffrey is questionable, they may have a tough choice to make on Sunday.
If you can, now would be the time to stash Jordan Mason on your bench, just in case McCaffrey is scratched ahead of Monday’s game.
McCaffrey’s Fantasy Outlook for the 2024 Season
The term “league-winner” is used frequently in fantasy football. Yet, very few players who deserve this title are properly awarded this distinction.
McCaffrey’s 2,023 total yards and 21 touchdowns from scrimmage this past year made him the runaway top RB in fantasy football this season by a wide margin, which makes him one of the few players qualified for this high praise.
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Sure, his reception totals weren’t quite as staggering as his 116 receptions for 1,005 receiving yards back in 2019, but his 391.3 fantasy points in full-PPR formats were 100.8 points more than the RB2 overall (Breece Hall), which is an absurdly wide gap when you consider that the gap between the QB1, WR1, and TE1 to the QB2, WR2, and TE2 is just 74.8 fantasy points combined.
McCaffrey turned 28 before the start of the upcoming season, but a quick look back at his 2023 production shows that he has shown no signs of slowing down.
2023 Notable Stats
- Yards Per Carry: 5.36 (career high)
- Total Touchdowns: 21 (tied for most in the NFL)
- Total Touches: 339 (led the NFL)
- Rushing Yards After Contact: 573 (led the NFL)
- Receptions: 67 (third most at RB position)
- Runs of 50+ Yards: Three (tied for most in the NFL)
There are only so many ways to say that McCaffrey is as excellent as advertised, but one additional way is to acknowledge that his current ADP is No. 1 overall.
McCaffrey’s elite fantasy production during his time with the Niners, coupled with a roster that saw very few changes from the one that went to the Super Bowl last year, means we can reasonably expect him to be a top producer at the RB position this upcoming season.
Other backs like Hall, Bijan Robinson, Jonathan Taylor, Saquon Barkley, and Kyren Williams may have cases to be the RB1 overall, but McCaffrey is the right choice at the top of every fantasy draft in 2024.
– Derek Tate, Fantasy Football Analyst