McCaffrey sitting Monday due to ‘tightness’

McCaffrey’s usage was a bit underwhelming in the first half of Thursday’s win. The 30-year-old running back played on 20 offensive snaps to Kaelon Black’s, while Black’s seven rush attempts more than doubled the three carries we saw from CMC, who also saw six first-half targets. McCaffrey’s second-half usage saw a slight uptick, but it’s possible some of what we saw as it pertains to last night’s split was related to this cramping issue. McCaffrey was undoubtedly the more efficient of the two Niners backs in last night’s win, but Black was solid in his debut, rushing 14 times for 65 yards. McCaffrey should be positioned for a big Week 2 game next week against the Dolphins.

The man they call CMC was not a big part of the first-half attack, but saw plenty more touches over the final two quarters to turn what was looking like an ugly fantasy debut into a decent — although far from spectacular — outing for the 30-year-old veteran. It’s worth noting that Kaelon Black received 14 carries in the contest for 68 yards, and it’s likely that Black is going to be involved going forward in at least a somewhat similar capacity. McCaffrey should still get plenty of touches going forward, and should have a good day against the Dolphins in Week 2.

While most of us were asleep on Sunday night, the 49ers were already conducting a Monday afternoon practice in Australia. According to NBC Sports’ Matt Maiocco, McCaffrey was not seen taking part in drills during the early portion of practice. It’s possible this is by design as the Niners prepare for their season opener on Thursday against the Rams, so we won’t read too much into this just yet. McCaffrey missed some time during training camp due to “tightness,” but seemingly downplayed any idea of an injury when he later said the time off during camp was “the plan from the jump.” This is something to keep an eye on in the coming days, but for now, we’ll assume McCaffrey will be good to go for the season opener. According to Maiocco, DE Nick Bosa was also not spotted during the early portion of practice on Monday.

The most important takeaway is that McCaffrey has resumed practicing. Whether the planned aspect is true or not is secondary. That said, one wonders why the team chose to say their star running back was sidelined by “tightness,” rather than simply telling reporters he was taking veteran rest days, which is quite common for a 30-year-old player. McCaffrey said the team wanted him to “ramp up pretty big” early on, before taking time off, and later initiating another ramp-up period, “so we’re fresh for the duration.” McCaffrey says he feels “fresh” after taking nearly two weeks off. We would hope so. He’s a locked-in RB1 at this time.

On the same day the Niners saw George Kittle return from his Achilles injury, the team also got back McCaffrey, who had been sidelined since August 10 due to his “tightness.” Assuming he doesn’t miss any more time and we don’t hear anything else about this injury or a new one, McCaffrey appears to be in good shape to be ready in time for the Niners’ Week 1 opener when they take on the Rams in Australia 18 days from now.

There had been previous speculation, most notably from Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio and 49ers beat guy Grant Cohn, that McCaffrey’s tightness that cropped up just days after Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs reset the running back market was him holding in for a new contract of his own. Rapoport shot that down in a report Monday night, calling the timing of the injury a coincidence. Rapoport noted that it sounds like McCaffrey was angling for a new contract over the offseason, though those talks went nowhere. In positive news for fantasy managers, he also added that it’s his understanding the injury isn’t anything to worry about, which implies McCaffrey will be ready for the start of the regular season.

The 49ers do not have to disclose any details here, so we just have to wait until McCaffrey either tells us himself or retakes the practice field. The veteran running back has plenty of time to get right for Week 1. We are not overly concerned. He remains a high-end RB1 for the 2026 season, but we will provide an update whenever we get one.

McCaffrey practiced with the team on Wednesday. He was held out of team drills on Thursday and worked on his conditioning on a side field instead. Late in March, coach Kyle Shanahan said he wants less “wear and tear” on McCaffrey this season. The plan to reduce wear and tear may be limited to the practice week. McCaffrey told reporters today that he thinks “the workload in our sport is really monitored in practice, not in games,” and that he likes to prepare himself “for playing every snap.” McCaffrey posted a league-leading and career-high 413 touches last season. If sitting out practices regularly allows him to handle a similar workload this season, he will once again compete for the overall RB1 spot in fantasy.

It’s not the first time we’ve heard this, and it certainly won’t be the last, but it’s understandable that Shanny would want to dial back McCaffrey’s workload this season. The star running back is entering his age-30 season and coming off a 2025 in which he saw a career-high 311 carries while rushing for 1,202 yards and 10 scores. McCaffrey also caught 102 passes for 924 yards and another seven touchdowns, turning in one of his best seasons as a pro while eclipsing 2,000 scrimmage yards for the third time in his career. It’s possible the 49ers find a way to delegate more work to second-year back Jordan James or a player not yet on the roster, but this shouldn’t change how we view McCaffrey’s fantasy stock this season. As long as he’s healthy, CMC remains one of the most dynamic weapons in the league and should see plenty of touches funneled his way, making him one of the most valuable assets in all formats.

Wagoner prefaced the statement by revealing that in the first meeting between 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and Evans, “Shanahan laid out the plan for how he will be incorporated into an offense that also includes” RB Christian McCaffrey, TE George Kittle and QB Brock Purdy. McCaffrey’s 95 red zone touches in the 2025 regular season led all 49ers players by 79 and all other NFL players by 21. Knowing that Shanahan is already scheming up red zone opportunities for Evans is great to hear. McCaffrey can also lose a few red zone touches and still remain an elite RB1. There should be more than enough opportunities in scoring position for both players to feast. Evans currently projects as a WR2 with double-digit touchdown upside.