Christian McCaffrey
28-Year-Old
IR
Injury Achilles
Est. Return 10/20/2024
2024 Rush/Rec Stats
ATT
0
YDS
0
TD
0
YDS
0
TD
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
2024 Fantasy Outlook
McCaffrey was the consensus RB1 and first fantasy pick from 2019 to 2021, but injuries in 2020 and 2021 left his ranking up for review after two dud years. That didn't last long. Not only has McCaffrey's health cooperated the last two years, he now has the privilege of playing in a top-three offense. Even with sky-high usage the last two years (516 carries, 152 receptions), McCaffrey's efficiency was at/near a league-leading level (5.0 yards per carry, 6.8 yards per target). Volume is normally a slight downward pressure on efficiency -- the more a defense expects you, the better they tend to defend you -- but McCaffrey has been unstoppable in San Francisco no matter how aggressively opponents try to slow him. While his previous injury troubles raise the understandable fear of similar problems occurring in the future, McCaffrey's overall track record of availability (79 percent of possible games) is about normal for a heavily used RB. Rather than fretting over McCaffrey's past injuries, the more useful frame would be to consider that injuries are likely the only way for any other running back to catch him in the fantasy rankings. That's a statement that would apply to very few running backs throughout history, as a talent like McCaffrey in a scheme like San Francisco's yields an almost perfect projection. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
Encouraging signs after workouts
McCaffrey (Achilles/calf) won't return when eligible Week 6 against the Seahawks, but he did on-field work this week and didn't experience any flareups, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
The workouts marked McCaffrey's first on-field activity since landing on injured reserve Sept. 14 and came less than two weeks after he visited a specialist in Germany. Schefter notes that while McCaffrey is dealing with bilateral Achilles tendinitis, the issue is concentrated mainly to one of his legs at this stage, and the running back's lack of a flareup this week was viewed as "mild encouragement." Even so, McCaffrey's return will be dependent on how he fares in practice, and Schefter relays that the 28-year-old may be ready to play as soon as Oct. 20 versus Kansas City if he steers clear of setbacks. Schefter also acknowledges the possibility that San Francisco could opt to sit McCaffrey out through the team's Week 9 bye in order to give him an extra week of recovery, so an actual target date for a return remains hazy. Jordan Mason will continue to start at running back for the 49ers for as long as McCaffrey remains out.
The workouts marked McCaffrey's first on-field activity since landing on injured reserve Sept. 14 and came less than two weeks after he visited a specialist in Germany. Schefter notes that while McCaffrey is dealing with bilateral Achilles tendinitis, the issue is concentrated mainly to one of his legs at this stage, and the running back's lack of a flareup this week was viewed as "mild encouragement." Even so, McCaffrey's return will be dependent on how he fares in practice, and Schefter relays that the 28-year-old may be ready to play as soon as Oct. 20 versus Kansas City if he steers clear of setbacks. Schefter also acknowledges the possibility that San Francisco could opt to sit McCaffrey out through the team's Week 9 bye in order to give him an extra week of recovery, so an actual target date for a return remains hazy. Jordan Mason will continue to start at running back for the 49ers for as long as McCaffrey remains out.
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Fantasy/Red Zone Stats
See red zone opportunities inside the 20, 10 and 5-yard lines along with the percentage of time they converted the opportunity into a touchdown.
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2024 NFL Game Log
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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
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Receiving Alignment Breakdown
See where Christian McCaffrey lined up on the field and how he performed at each spot.
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This Week's Opposing Pass Defense
How does the Cardinals pass defense compare to other NFL teams this season?
The bars represents the team's percentile rank (based on QB Rating Against). The longer the bar, the better their pass defense is. The team and position group ratings only include players that are currently on the roster and not on injured reserve. The list of players in the table only includes defenders with at least 3 attempts against them.
vs Cardinals
Sunday, Oct 6th at 4:05PM
Overall QB Rating Against
107.4
Cornerbacks
104.9
Safeties
135.1
Linebackers
68.8
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2024 Christian McCaffrey Split Stats
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Measurables Review
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How do Christian McCaffrey's measurables compare to other running backs?
This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.
Height
5' 11"Weight
210 lbs40-Yard Dash
4.48 secShuttle Time
4.22 secCone Drill
6.75 secVertical Jump
37.5 inBroad Jump
121 inBench Press
10 repsHand Length
9.00 inArm Length
30.00 in
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
After consecutive injury-shortened seasons, McCaffrey's value was trending downward entering 2022, and to make matters worse he was stranded in the dysfunctional Carolina offense. By the end of the season, McCaffrey's durability and team concerns turned for the better, as he ended up playing 20 games (three in the playoffs) between Carolina and San Francisco. As great as McCaffrey's production was in his Carolina career, the Panthers offense would often work against him. With Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers it's the exact opposite -- for the first time in his career McCaffrey is playing on Easy Mode. His numbers were fine in the six games before the trade, but he was predictably more explosive with the 49ers, producing 984 yards and eight touchdowns rushing with 64 receptions for 525 yards and five touchdowns in 14 games. Even a calf injury in the playoffs couldn't slow McCaffrey down; he had 299 total yards and three TDs in three weeks and missed only one snap in the NFC Championship Game loss. He turns 27 in June, still has the injury history looming somewhat and figures to cede a portion of the carries to Elijah Mitchell, but if McCaffrey's health cooperates he'll have enough catches and TDs to challenge for overall RB1 status again.
More Fantasy News
Has tendinitis in both Achilles
Coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that McCaffrey is tending to tendinitis in both of his Achilles, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports. "I think it started in one, and you overcompensate, it went to the other," Shanahan added. "Mainly one of them has just been bothering him, but he's had it in both."
ANALYSIS
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May be eying early November return
There's a chance McCaffrey (Achilles) will run on hard ground this coming week, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
ANALYSIS
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Ready to increase activity level
Coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday that McCaffrey (Achilles) may "start hitting the rehab here harder on Monday," Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Plan coming together for recovery
Coach Kyle Shanahan said Thursday on 104.5 KNBR that the 49ers will "probably turn it up here in the next couple of weeks" with McCaffrey (calf/Achilles). "We'll start testing it out here sooner rather than later," Shanahan added.
ANALYSIS
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Visiting specialist in Germany
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that McCaffrey flew to Germany over the weekend to visit with a specialist for his Achilles tendinitis, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
IR becomes a possibility
McCaffrey, who was ruled out Friday for Sunday's Week 2 game against the Vikings, could be headed to injured reserve due to his Achilles and calf injuries, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Head coach Kyle Shanahan ruled McCaffrey out after the running back reported not feeling very well following Thursday's limited practice participation. Shanahan also confirmed placing McCaffrey on short-term IR, which would require him to miss at least four total games, is now also under consideration. Shanahan stated a conversation on that front would be had "in the next 24 hours," meaning a decision is likely to be made before Sunday's game kicks off.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan ruled McCaffrey out after the running back reported not feeling very well following Thursday's limited practice participation. Shanahan also confirmed placing McCaffrey on short-term IR, which would require him to miss at least four total games, is now also under consideration. Shanahan stated a conversation on that front would be had "in the next 24 hours," meaning a decision is likely to be made before Sunday's game kicks off.