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Is Brian Robinson Jr. or Isaac Guerendo the RB2 for the 49ers? Should you draft Robinson or Guerendo in 2025 drafts? Check out Zach's fantasy football outlooks.
The San Francisco 49ers have one of the best systems for running backs in the National Football League, with coach Kyle Shanahan's offense making fantasy stars of multiple running backs over the last few years. Last year, Christian McCaffrey missed the first eight games of the season and then missed the final five games as well. Other running backs had a chance to step up and be very productive for fantasy, so the backup running back in San Francisco is a very important spot to keep track of.
The 49ers themselves realize the importance of the depth behind CMC as well, so they brought in Brian Robinson Jr. via trade in the preseason. Robinson joins a crowded backfield room that includes Isaac Guerendo, who showed lots of potential filling in last season. Which one is the RB2 behind McCaffrey, coming into the year, though, and who should you be looking at for your fantasy football team?
Let's try to make sense of the 49ers' backfield. Who is the primary backup behind the McCaffrey?
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
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Brian Robinson Jr. Fantasy Football Outlook
Sometimes in these posts, we have to decode playing time and who plays with whom and when, but in this case, Shanahan saved us the trouble.
“We brought him here to be our two back. Always been a big fan of Brian, loved him coming out of college… We were pumped that he was available and we were pumped that we were able to get him.”
Kyle Shanahan on the 49ers acquisition of Brian Robinson Jr. pic.twitter.com/XjMaQkZapl
— KNBR (@KNBR) August 24, 2025
Robinson was available after spending three years in Washington. He ran for over 700 yards in each of his three seasons since being drafted in the third round. He had had nine touchdowns rushing and receiving in 2023 and eight touchdowns rushing in 2024. The 26-year-old hit escalators in his contract, so the team looked to move on and go with cheaper options rather than extend him. The Commanders will go with veteran Austin Ekeler and rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt instead of Robinson.
While Robinson was not a great fit for Kliff Kingsbury’s offense, he should be a great fit for Shanahan's system. Throughout his time in D.C., he served as both a solid between-the-tackles grinder and a receiver out of the backfield. He's not as shifty as CMC in space, but should be a good downhill runner, who can fill in as a change-of-pace option or if CMC has to miss time.
Robinson may not have standalone value on a weekly basis when McCaffrey is healthy, but as a handcuff, he brings an extremely high ceiling.
Isaac Guerendo Fantasy Football Outlook
With Robinson in town, Gurendo's fantasy value took a huge hit. He missed two weeks with a shoulder injury this preseason, but even now that he's back from that injury, he may not be able to get on the field very easily
Guerendo nursed multiple injuries last season but still ended up with 99 touches after injuries sidelined both CMC and Jordan Mason, who landed in Minnesota this offseason. Guerendo totaled 420 yards and four touchdowns on his 84 carries and added 152 yards on 15 catches as well.
Despite that success, Guerendo seems set for a minimal role now that Robinson has arrived.
Apparently #49ers simply didn't think Isaac Guerendo was good enough.
Trade for Brian Robinson, immediately name him RB2 in the media. Now it sounds like Guerendo ticketed for a special teams role. Via ESPN: pic.twitter.com/UxLm51TCPt
— Adam Levitan (@adamlevitan) August 26, 2025
Last season, he was clearly the third running back on the depth chart, but climbed his way to fantasy relevance by the end of the year. He could do the same again, but he would probably need injuries to both CMC and Robinson before getting his chance.
Who Should You Draft in Fantasy Football?
If you are choosing between the two backs at the same point in drafts, Robinson is clearly the option to go with at this point. The 49ers wanted him and valued him enough over Guerendo to go out and get him this preseason, so they'll definitely find ways to get him involved and give him most of the work if CMC has injury issues again.
Ron Rivera drafted both Christian McCaffrey and Brian Robinson Jr. His assessment of how the duo might look together in the 49ers backfield should get the Faithful HYPED. ⬇️
(via @knbrmurph & @MarkusBoucher) pic.twitter.com/7ngSPFAQNI
— KNBR (@KNBR) August 27, 2025
In NFFC, Robinson has an ADP that makes him RB30. He's one of the top non-starting running backs coming off the board. It's hard to argue with his value at that point in drafts, but don't expect to sneak him late in drafts. He brings top-10 upside if CMC misses time, but he is also high-risk since his role is uncertain when CMC is healthy.
Guerendo is being drafted as the RB47, which seems a little high for him now that Robinson has arrived. He'll probably be available on waivers at some point in most leagues early in the season when Robinson and CMC are healthy. If either struggles with injury, though, Guerendo will suddenly become important to grab.
Who Should I Draft Tool
You can also see the Who Should I Draft tool here.
Who Should I Draft? Some common 2025 fantasy football draft decisions are regarding players like Brian Robinson Jr., Isaac Guerendo, Chris Rodriguez. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning teams in 2025. Draft your optimal fantasy football teams for 2025. Our free Who Should I Draft? tool will help make your fantasy football draft decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to draft... all free! Make the right decisions.
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to draft...
2025 Player Decisions. Today's focus in on specific players - Brian Robinson Jr., Isaac Guerendo, Chris Rodriguez. These are some common searches for 2025 fantasy football drafts.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Draft? button to see who the recommended draft picks are based on fantasy football rankings, projections and more.
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Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Draft Searches. Curious to see some tough draft decisions for 2025? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Draft? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Draft
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Draft tool for 2025 drafts for Brian Robinson Jr., Isaac Guerendo, Chris Rodriguez:
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