CMC (tightness) time off was ‘kind of’ planned

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 10th 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.

We’ll assume the vague categorization means there’s not much to worry about. It was reported in May that the 49ers wanted to be “cautious” with McCaffrey’s summer workload as he ramps up for the season, so it’s possible there’s a little bit of load management going on here while McCaffrey works through this “tightness.” The 49ers have seen several notable players go down due to injuries early in camp. Hopefully this is a non-issue for CMC, and we see him back on the practice field soon.

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.

McCaffrey astonishingly handled a career-high 413 touches in his age-29 season, totaling 102 receptions, 2,126 scrimmage yards and 17 touchdowns. To say he deserves this award is an understatement. He notably won the Offensive Player of the Year award in 2023.

He gutted through a stinger in this one, leaving briefly at the start of the second half and (obviously) again late as the 49ers fell to pieces. This is one of the great fantasy seasons of recent memory at running back, mostly because it was actually a great wideout season for McCaffrey. He caught 102 balls for 924 yards and seven scores, starting all 17 games – it was his best receiving output since 2019’s 116/1005/4 stat line. He led the NFL with 413 regular season touches and added 21 against the Eagles and 16 here. McCaffrey actually performed pretty poorly as a runner this year, with minus-27.9 rushing EPA and a minus-0.5 rushing yards over expected per attempt that was fourth-worst among all qualified rushers. His special skill set leaves him more than capable of being a fantasy RB1 – maybe even No. 1 overall – in 2026. But the touches and the injury history will continue to make him a caveat emptor all-star.

Again middling on the ground, McCaffrey was again sensational through the air, catching touchdown passes from both Brock Purdy and Jauan Jennings. The latter was a 29-yard trick play (obviously) strike that required McCaffrey to make an acrobatic grab at the goal line. McCaffrey’s rushing efficiency is in undeniable decline, but his receiving becomes even more of a Divisional Round X-factor with George Kittle (Achilles) lost for the season. We have no doubt coach Kyle Shanahan will do everything he can to put CMC in position to make plays through the air.