Fantasy football managers across the world were shocked and worried about San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey as he left the game early in their 19-17 defeat to the Cleveland Browns last week.
McCaffrey has been nothing short of exceptional so far this season and stands alone as the true RB1 in all scoring formats so far this season.
However, is McCaffrey going to play on Monday Night Football versus the Minnesota Vikings? And, if he does, what is his fantasy outlook for this week? Let’s give you all the latest information so you can make those much-needed roster lineup changes prior to the early-window kickoffs in Week 7.
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Is Christian McCaffrey Going To Play Week 7?
McCaffrey left the Week 6 game versus the Browns late in the third quarter with an oblique injury. This type of injury is never considered a serious injury, with the maximum amount of time missed between 1-2 games.
And while McCaffrey did not practice on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday due to the injury, he managed to return to training on Saturday. While he was limited, fantasy managers should be encouraged that he has at least logged a practice this week going into Sunday.
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Adam Schefter of ESPN posted an update on X on Saturday evening regarding McCaffrey. He wrote, “49ers’ RB Christian McCaffrey, who practiced limited today for the first time this week, is questionable for Monday night, vs. the Vikings due to his oblique injury.”
Schefter followed that up later with another positive update. “All signs point to 49ers’ RB Christian McCaffrey playing Monday night at Minnesota, despite the fact that he is listed as questionable due to an oblique injury, per sources. McCaffrey returned to practice in a limited way Saturday and said after that he feels ‘great.'”
Therefore, while there has been a positive update regarding McCaffrey, fantasy managers must be ready for things to trend the other way should McCaffrey not be able to play.
McCaffrey’s Potential Fantasy Outlook Tomorrow, Jordan Mason Looms
Fantasy managers face a tough choice today regarding McCaffrey. McCaffrey is currently ranked as the RB8 in our PFN Consensus Rankings at the time of writing.
McCaffrey has a long history of playing through pain and playing with injuries. And, with the 49ers coming off a loss, I would personally expect McCaffrey to play on Monday Night Football. Fantasy managers should select him in their lineups today.
McCaffrey is up against a Vikings team that has conceded the fifth-fewest fantasy points to running backs this season. The Vikings have only allowed 14 half-PPR points per game, which is just 1.9 points per game more than the Philadelphia Eagles, who have conceded the second-least.
However, part of the reason why the Vikings have given up so few fantasy points on the ground is due to the sheer volume of fantasy points they have given up in the air. The Vikings are giving up 34.9 half-PPR points per game to wide receivers, making this the sixth-most in the NFL coming into Week 7.
With the 49ers missing Deebo Samuel due to a hairline fracture, the 49ers have fewer weapons than normal to exploit this matchup. Consequently, expect McCaffrey to get a lot more work both on the ground and also in the receiving game due to Samuel’s absence.
Fantasy managers should add Jordan Mason to their rosters if he is available. Mason is only rostered in 17% of ESPN fantasy leagues currently, so he should be available in most leagues. Mason was the man who got the majority of the opportunity when McCaffrey left the game last week. He also scored a touchdown in their defeat to the Browns.
While I expect McCaffrey to play, fantasy managers would be shrewd to add Mason as an insurance policy should McCaffrey trend downward in the next 12-24 hours. It is additions like this that will help get fantasy managers to snatch a win during a difficult week due to all the teams on bye.