Christian

McCaffrey

A rare bit of good news on the injury front for the 49ers. McCaffrey was given the day off Wednesday. Even though today’s activity only resulted in a limited session, it’s a good start for what could be a Week 9 date against the Raiders that sees the tailback get a smorgasbord of touches due to the issues involving several injured receivers.

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said more than a week ago that McCaffrey has a “mild” hamstring strain. Hamstring strains can be finicky. If Kaelon Black is available, add him immediately. McCaffrey still has a chance to play in Week 9 against the Raiders’ soft run defense, but he is ever so slightly in the questionable column at this time.

That explains McCaffrey’s brief departure in the team’s Week 7 loss to the Falcons, when the veteran alpha missed most of the second quarter but returned for the second half. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan added that he believes McCaffrey will be fine when the team comes out of their Week 8 bye. “We’re pretty optimistic,” he said Monday. Fantasy managers appear to have dodged a bullet with the first-round fantasy powerhouse but will want to continue to monitor reports from the team through their bye.

McCaffrey scored a touchdown on the first drive of the game and had six touches, which seemed to set the tone for a massive workload. However, he also picked up a thigh injury on that drive and didn’t return again until the third quarter. The 49ers seemed to give him a few extra breaks in the second half, but McCaffrey didn’t look any less explosive. He was also half a yard away from catching a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, but he was ruled down short of the end zone, and then Brock Purdy threw a touchdown pass to Kyle Juszczyk on the next play. The 49ers have a bye next week, so we doubt McCaffrey’s thigh injury will be an issue when we see them next in Week 9.

McCaffrey was injured on the first drive of the game when the 49ers scored a touchdown. The training staff was working on his thigh before he jogged into the locker room in the second quarter and was listed as questionable to return. It was a 14-3 49ers lead when McCaffrey went into the locker room, and it’s 19-14 in favor of the Falcons now, so the team is going to see if their star running back can get them back in front.

McCaffrey was used heavily on the first drive with the 49ers down so many offensive players, and he came out of that drive with a touchdown but also a thigh injury. The trainers worked on him on the sideline for two drives before finally bringing him into the medical tent. The 49ers do have a bye next week, so they could try to get him back into the game, but they are also up 14-3 at this point, so the Falcons will likely need to get the game closer. Kaelon Black will continue to see a workhorse role while CMC is sidelined.

McCaffrey set a season high with 25 touches and 26 opportunities in a game played without Deebo Samuel and in which Mike Evans departed just before the half with an aggravation of his Achilles injury. The veteran workhorse back again proved how high his ceiling can be with such a robust role through the air. A second-quarter fumble was his first lost fumble since 2024, a stretch spanning over 500 touches since he last lost a fumble. McCaffrey remains an elite RB1 despite a difficult matchup on the ground against the Falcons in Week 7.

McCaffrey’s lone touchdown came on an 11-yard touchdown run immediately after the 49ers had recovered a fumble by Emanuel Wilson. He hasn’t had the gaudy yardage totals we’re accustomed to seeing, but fantasy managers won’t be mad at this performance. While McCaffrey has yet to rush for 100 yards in a game this season, he’s gone for 80-plus yards from scrimmage in three of five games and has scored in four straight. He continues to be the only fantasy-relevant running back on the Niners and is set up to smash in Week 6 against the Commanders on Monday Night Football.

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.

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.