Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up
Odds by

    CMC has 70 yards, TD in Week 4

    Link copied to clipboard!
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Christian McCaffrey had 15 rushes for 52 yards and a touchdown in the 49ers’ Week 4 win against the Broncos, adding three catches for 18 yards.

    Denver’s defense focused on slowing down McCaffrey and the Niners’ run game. That forced Brock Purdy and the offense into a more pass-heavy approach. CMC surprisingly was not all that involved in the passing attack against a Broncos defense that has been generous to pass catchers out of the backfield this season. He saved his fantasy day with a goal line plunge in the second half. Kaelon Black, meanwhile, saw six carries on the day. McCaffrey will be a top-5 option in Week 5 against the Seahawks.
How high is too high for McMillan?
Kyle Dvorchak and Patrick Daugherty discuss Tetairoa McMillan’s breakout, his emergence as Carolina’s No. 1 receiver and whether he can finish as a top-12 fantasy wideout.

Related Player News

  • SF Fullback #44
    Personalize your Rotoworld feed by favoriting players
    Juszczyk suffered what looked to be a serious knee injury in the fourth quarter and didn’t return to the game after being helped off the field. He would constitute an outsized loss for Kyle Shanahan’s offense, particularly his run game designs. A long-term absence for the trusted Shanny fullback could be something of a blow for Christian McCaffrey’s weekly prospects.
  • SF Running Back #23
    McCaffrey continued to run as the engine of the 49ers’ offense, turning 19 touches into 116 yards. He carried the ball frequently after the 49ers went up big in the first half and was a key receiver when the Cardinals attempted to stage a late-game comeback. McCaffrey scored his touchdown by jumping over a pile for a fourth-quarter goal-line score. He followed that up with a one-handed catch to keep a key drive alive late in the game. Though LT Trent Williams left with injury, McCaffrey is a big enough part of the receiving game to overcome any rushing inefficiency. He continues to be a fantasy RB1 for Week 4 against the Broncos.
  • SF Running Back #23
    It was not an efficient day for the 49ers’ running backs, but Brock Purdy dissected the Dolphins enough that McCaffrey was set up for a couple of easy touchdown runs. His longest rush of the day was just five yards, so the team will be looking to get that sorted out ahead of Week 3’s game against the Cardinals. The positive news is that McCaffrey didn’t really split time with Kaelon Black as much before the end of the game. He remains a locked-in RB1.
  • SF Running Back #23
    McCaffrey and Williams were listed as DNP simply for rest, while Bosa had a rest/knee designation and Greenlaw had a rest/Achilles designation. This is notable as the 49ers have several key veterans who have dealt with injuries throughout their career and practice reps will be managed for these players, especially coming off a Week 1 in Australia. McCaffrey reportedly dealt with cramps in the 49ers’ Week 1 win over the Rams; though he is not injured, his experiences with Achilles tendinitis will certainly lend to rest days throughout the season. We expect the 49ers to continue to rest veterans in practice throughout the season in an effort to remain healthy.
  • SF Running Back #23
    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.
  • SF Running Back #23
    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.
  • SF Running Back #23
    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.
  • SF Running Back #23
    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.
  • SF Running Back #23
    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.
  • SF Running Back #23
    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.

Rotoworld

  • ATL Quarterback #13
    Player Stats
    Personalize your Rotoworld feed by favoriting players
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Falcons declared Cooper Rush, QB Jack Strand, CB Malcom DeWalt IV, CB Roger Longerbeam, DE Jared Iven, and OL Ethan Onianwa inactive for Week 4 against the Saints.

    Rush will serve as the emergency quarterback over Jack Strand. LB Samsom Ebukam, who came into the weekend listed as questionable, will play against the Saints. The Falcons look to move into a tie atop the NFC South against their divisional opponent after beating the Packers in Week 3.
  • NO Tight End #87
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Saints TE Noah Fant (abdominal) is inactive for Week 4 against the Falcons.

    Fant was originally listed as questionable but is ultimately unable to go, shocking fantasy managers that took a gamble on him following his two-touchdown game a week ago. Rookie Oscar Delp appears most likely to serve as the next man up while starter Juwan Johnson could take on additional volume at the position. Also inactive for the Saints are QB Zach Wilson, CB Decamerion Richardson, EDGE Anfernee Jennings, DL Christen Miller, LB Kaden Elliss, and EDGE Carl Granderson.
  • SEA Running Back #28
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Seahawks signed RB Joe Mixon, formerly of the Texans and Bengals.

    Mixon failed to stick with an NFL franchise during the 2025 season after starting 14 games for the Texans in 2024. The 30-year-old back has over 1,800 carries at the professional level to his name and brings a veteran presence to a Seattle backfield reeling the wake of rookie Jadarian Price’s placement on injured reserve. Zach Charbonnet saw his 21-day practice window activated as he attempts to return from injured reserve, although it could take him another week or two to be activated considering the timing of his knee injury a season ago. Emanuel Wilson could see another week of lead-back usage alongside George Holani as Mixon gets up to speed with the offense.
  • ARI Running Back #4
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur said Jeremiyah Love tweaked his other ankle in Week 4’s loss to the Giants.

    It’s been an odd 24 hours for Love, who was quoted after Sunday’s game saying this is shaping up to be the “longest year” of his career while also adding that he’s “tired” and would be willing to pass off work to Tyler Allgeier or Bam Knight in the event that he doesn’t think he can do what is being asked of him. As for this latest injury, LaFleur said the ankle injury isn’t the same one Love injured in the preseason, meaning he now has two ankle injuries to manage for the rest of the season. The Cardinals’ backfield was already proving hard to predict, and the latest quote from Love, coupled with the injury news, doesn’t exactly instill more confidence in him going forward. He draws a plus Week 5 matchup against the Lions, but should be treated as a fringe RB2/RB3 for now.
  • Link copied to clipboard!

    Baker Mayfield (thumb) was listed as DNP on Monday’s estimated practice report.

    Mayfield is expected to miss “anywhere from three to six weeks” with his thumb injury, so it’s not at all surprising to see him listed as a DNP for Monday’s practice. We wouldn’t expect Mayfield to practice at all this week in the days leading up to Thursday’s matchup against the Cowboys. We’ll see if things change next week when the Bucs begin prepping for Week 6 against the Steelers. Rookie UDFA Jalon Daniels is expected to make his second career start on Thursday.
  • ARI Offensive Lineman #70
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur said LT Paris Johnson will miss the remainder of the season with torn biceps.

    This is the third straight season-ending injury for Johnson, who also ended the 2024 and 2025 seasons on injured reserve due to knee injuries. The Cardinals picked up Johnson’s fifth-year option earlier this offseason, so he will return for the 2026 season. That said, this recent string of injuries doesn’t bode well for him earning a long-term contract extension this offseason, despite his strong play when healthy. Johnson allowed seven pressures and one sack on 174 pass-blocking snaps, per PFF, and has allowed 10 sacks in his last 30 games played. Assuming all goes well with his rehab, Johnson should be ready in time for training camp next season.
  • PIT Running Back #13
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy said Rico Dowdle is making progress in his attempt to return from a toe injury.

    McCarthy said he expects Dowdle and Jaylen Warren to be a “one-two punch” once Dowdle returns to the field. Warren has totaled 34 rushes over the last two weeks while rushing for 220 scoreless yards, but had a 21-89-0 line during the first two weeks of the season when Dowdle was active. Both backs will likely fall in the RB3/FLEX range if Dowdle suits up for Week 5’s game against the Colts.
  • PHI Running Back #8
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports Tank Bigsby will have core muscle surgery and be placed on injured reserve.

    Rapoport reports there are hopes that Bigsby will be back “in six weeks or shorter.” The 24-year-old back will be required to miss at least four games now that he’s headed for an IR stint. With Saquon Barkley (hamstring) also at risk of missing at least one game, third-string RB Will Shipley could be in line for a busy day in Week 5 against the Jaguars. Shipley rushed six times for 23 yards in Sunday’s loss to the Rams, but could be a sneaky option in PPR leagues given his pass-catching profile during his days at Clemson, when he caught 85 passes over three seasons. It also wouldn’t be surprising if Dameon Pierce or Jaydon Blue were promoted off the practice squad and saw early down touches while Shipley serves in more of a third-down role. There’s a lot to figure out here over the next few days.
  • LA Defensive Tackle #99
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Rams head coach Sean McVay said he expects Aaron Donald (back) to practice this week.

    McVay said he expects Donald to practice this week and hopefully play when the Rams take on the Bills on Monday Night Football in Week 5. Donald has totaled four tackles in his first two games with the Rams this season and has yet to record a sack in 68 defensive snaps. The Rams will release their first injury report on Thursday, so we’ll get a better sense of Donald’s status then.
  • CHI Running Back #25
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Bears coach Ben Johnson said Kyle Monangai (thumb) is “going to be OK” and that it was a “day to day deal.”

    Monangai seemingly winds up on the injury report every other week, but he keeps playing and keeps playing well. We wouldn’t be surprised to see him listed again this week, but it sounds like he’s very much in line to play against the Packers.