7 months agoSan Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey will soon turn 28 years old this summer, often when we start to see a performance decline from running backs in fantasy football. However, CMC is such a dynamic receiver out of the backfield who is second among all running backs with 152 receptions over the last two years (only Austin Ekeler had more), offering a rare combination as a high-floor, high-ceiling player in fantasy. CMC averaged a career-best 5.4 yards per carry on the ground last season and was a key cog in the 49ers' Super Bowl run. McCaffrey rushed for 1,459 yards and 14 TDs in 2023 while adding 7 more through the air and went over 2,000 total yards. McCaffrey had 48 runs of 10+ yards or more in 2023 (according to PFF), which was the most in the NFL, and showed zero signs of slowing down. Given his full workload in a high-powered offense led by offensive wizard Kyle Shanahan, it's hard to feel bearish about CMC's 2024 outlook when there are so few running backs we can guarantee will see a bell-cow type of workload this upcoming season. UPDATE (8/6/2024): McCaffrey has been ruled out for the remainder of the preseason with a calf strain and will not practice for several weeks. 49ers head coach, Kyle Shanahan suggested that the injury is minor, and the team is likely just taking precautions with their star running back. Expectations are that CMC will be ready for Week 1 on MNF against the New York Jets, however, this is a situation to monitor throughout the rest of the preseason.--Kyle Lindemann - RotoBaller
Source: Forbes