2024 Player Outlook
After playing in 23 games over the last two seasons, the skeptics who routinely cite McCaffrey’s injury history can finally quiet down and accept the fact that he is and should remain the consensus No. 1 overall pick in fantasy. He racked up 1,880 all-purpose yards with 13 touchdowns between Carolina and San Francisco in 2022 and then followed it up with over 2,000 all-purpose yards and 21 touchdowns during his first full season with the 49ers. From a fantasy standpoint, he finished with over 200 points more than the next running back in PPR formats and was outscored by only eight quarterbacks. Kyle Shanahan’s offense will run through McCaffrey once again and while yes, we will see Elijah Mitchell or rookie Isaac Guerendo spell him at times to keep him fresh, McCaffrey should continue his onslaught on opposing defenses. He should remain the No. 1 overall fantasy player in everyone’s rankings and be drafted as such.
Player News
ESPN’s Nick Wagoner reports Christian McCaffrey was “one of the few Niners stars to take reps in team drills” during minicamp.
McCaffrey has also participated in every phase of organized team activities. All signs out of San Francisco have pointed to McCaffrey being perfectly healthy after missing most of the 2024 season with bilateral Achilles tendinitis and eventually a season-ending PCL sprain. 49ers OC Klay Kubiak told reporters he plans on giving CMC the ball “as much as we can” this year and Kyle Shanahan has been similarly optimistic. The last time we saw a healthy McCaffrey, he broke fantasy with 2,023 yards from scrimmage and 21 touchdowns. The positive buzz has McCaffrey moving up early fantasy boards in a hurry. He will likely end the summer in the top half of the first round.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that Christian McCaffrey is as “healthy as can be” and that the team must “protect him from himself.”
McCaffrey is evidently ready to hit the ground running, but Shanahan and the 49ers know they must manage the soon-to-be 29-year-old’s repetitions responsibly. McCaffrey’s 2024 season was derailed by bilateral Achilles tendinitis and a season-ending PCL sprain. Slightly increasing second-year RB Isaac Guerendo’s workload could be helpful in this regard.
49ers OC Klay Kubiak told reporters that Christian McCaffrey “looks awesome” and that the plan is to “get him the ball as much as we can” this season.
McCaffrey was sidelined by bilateral Achilles tendinitis through Week 9 last year, returned in Week 10, and was ultimately shut down again after spraining his PCL in Week 13. Kubiak’s comments add to a steady stream of positive reports regarding McCaffrey’s health, dating back to late February, which should only serve to lessen concerns about the 49ers reducing McCaffrey’s workload in 2025. The veteran running back is on track to once again gobble up touches in an efficient, fantasy-friendly offense.
Christian McCaffrey said he is participating in San Francisco’s offeseason program with no restrictions.
Kyle Shanahan said McCaffrey was “healthy and doing great” earlier this month, but it’s still notable that McCaffrey is going through OTAs without any restrictions. “As soon as that injury happened in Buffalo, I was kind of. . . . This was my goal, to not miss a day of OTAs, be back, ready to go, with nothing hindering me, and that’s where I’m at,” McCaffrey told reporters. We know it’s going to take one blurb a day of McCaffrey being healthy before anyone believes the 49ers after last offseason, but we’re off to a strong start before the draft. McCaffrey should be an RB1 — if healthy — in 2025 fantasy drafts.
DFS Last 5
Week | Date | Opponent | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Jan 1/5/20255 | @Cardinals | |
| 17 | Dec 12/31/2024366 | Lions | |
| 16 | Dec 12/22/2024357 | @Dolphins | |
| 15 | Dec 12/13/2024348 | Rams | |
| 14 | Dec 12/8/2024343 | Bears | |
| 13 | Dec 12/2/2024337 | @Bills | 8.7 |
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