Tag: Christian McCaffrey fantasy football

49ers place Christian McCaffrey on IR

CMC will miss the next four games while on Injured Reserve.

Updating an ongoing story, San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey (calf, Achilles) was placed on the Reserve/Injured list on Saturday, Sept. 14. He is eligible to return in Week 6 at the Seattle Seahawks.

Fantasy football advice: After days of speculation, McCaffrey was placed on IR ahead of Week 2 action, which saves the team a game he was scheduled to miss anyway. The four-week absence means RB Jordan Mason will man the primary role of the backfield, and we could see a hint of RB Isaac Guerendo sprinkled in. However, after Week 1’s utilization, look for FB Kyle Juszczyk to get more opportunities than the rookie. Stash CMC as long as it takes, and be diligent on the waiver wire if you were unable to secure the services of Mason.

ALERT: Christian McCaffrey is INACTIVE

Make sure to get CMC out of your lineups tonight.

In a surprise move, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (calf, Achilles) will not play tonight, contrary to reports from just a couple of days ago that said he would see a full workload.

Backup running back Jordan Mason is expected to start and see a large share of the touches. Look for more rushing from WR Deebo Samuel, and rookie running back Isaac Guerendo could see a handful of carries, too.

Mason is worthy of an RB2/flex start, whereas Guerendo is a dice roll for a desperate gamer looking for a TD flier. If you can’t play either of those backs, there’s a chance Braelon Allen from the New York Jets is still on your wire, and he could see a couple of touches behind Breece Hall.

Should you handcuff San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey?

Here’s how you should approach San Fran RBs in fantasy leagues.

The San Francisco 49ers transformed their franchise prior to the trade deadline in 2022 with a blockbuster deal to acquire Christian McCaffrey. After mixing and matching running backs for years, McCaffrey has brought stability to the 49ers’ running game since his arrival.

In 2023, McCaffrey became the first 49ers running back since Frank Gore in 2014 to rush for more than 1,000 yards. He authored a dominant season that put him in the MVP conversation and earned his way to the consensus top pick in fantasy drafts. With the ultimate investment that comes with the first overall pick, in many cases fantasy managers opt to use their last running back selection on the No. 1 guy’s backup. In San Francisco, that’s a dicey option.

This situation is especially importing given a calf injury has McCaffrey, fantasy’s consensus top pick, set to miss the entire preseason.

The most obvious choice would be fourth-year man Elijah Mitchell. In his 2021 rookie season, Mitchell ran for 963 yards in 11 games. But he has been all but invisible since Run CMC arrived. In hindsight, Mitchell’s inability to stay healthy helped force the 49ers’ hand to make the McCaffrey trade. In three seasons, the 49ers played 51 total games. Of those, Mitchell was available for only 27 of them.

Because of the lack of confidence that Mitchell can stay healthy, the 49ers need a Plan C option. Jordan Mason was an undrafted free agent in 2022 and has kept a roster spot by playing special teams and finishing off lopsided wins. However, in two seasons, he has 83 carries for 464 yards and four touchdowns

The wild card is rookie Isaac Guerendo. Despite turning 24 in June after spending five injury-filled seasons at Wisconsin before transferring Louisville last season, Guerendo rushed 132 times for 810 yards, caught 22 passes for 234 yards and scored 11 touchdowns in part-time duty a year ago. However, what makes him somebody to keep an eye on is his 4.33-second 40 time at the combine that vaulted him to being drafted early on Day 3. If the 49ers offense wants to operate the same as it does with McCaffrey is he’s down, Guerendo may be the most similarly explosive player.

Fantasy football outlook

Most teams have a clear handcuff option in the event their primary back goes down. The 49ers don’t, in part because they constantly dealt with injuries and timeshare changes before McCaffrey arrived.

At one point, their primary rusher was Deebo Samuel, due to a rash of injuries. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk, while sparsely used in the offense, could step up and be a goal-line sniper. The Niners are equipped to go pass-happy in a given week to make up for McCaffrey being out.

Today, it’s even murkier due to Mitchell and Guerendo each battling hamstring injuries. It’s tough for a rookie to unseat a veteran and nearly impossible if the former can’t stay healthy. Mitchell is expected to miss roughly a week of practice, whereas Guerendo is considered week to week after getting hurt during the first practice of camp. As a result, veteran Matt Breida was added to the roster.

For those who draft McCaffrey, Mitchell should be the handcuff, and his RB5 ADP ranking puts him in a position that it wouldn’t be a reach. The reason for that recommendation comes from the largely unremembered, meaningless final six quarters of the 49ers’ regular season. McCaffrey sat for that period with playoff positioning locked up, and Mitchell was given a chance to prove himself. He responded with 31 carries for 132 yards and two touchdowns.

Guerendo is not entirely worthless but has lost valuable practice time and will need Mitchell to miss game action before he warrants a roster spot.

7 handcuff running backs to target in fantasy football drafts

Seven of the top running back tandems to handcuff in fantasy football drafts.

It’s common for fantasy football players to “double down” on running backs in whom they’ve made a significant investment by adding the backup late in drafts or auctions. The term for this practice is called “handcuffing” – having two running backs from the same team on your roster.

The key to executing a proper handcuff is in direct relation to the investment made in the first of the two running backs. The player almost certainly needs to be an RB1. There are exceptions to the rule – the first back can be an RB2 in the event there is a belief that two backs will share playing time.

The rationale is pretty simple – if the top guy gets injured, the “handcuff guy” can step in and closely replicate the production.

These are the top seven handcuff players you should consider.

Fantasy football preview: Carolina Panthers quarterbacks

Is there anything to see here for fantasy footballers?

The Carolina Panthers have struggled to get past the Cam Newton era but overhauled the quarterbacks room in the last three months. Carolina has become the dumping ground of 2018 draft failures, where Cleveland passed on Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson to take Baker Mayfield with the first overall pick, and the New York Jets followed shortly thereafter in taking Sam Darnold at No. 3.

Darnold was an undeniable failure in New York, getting run out of town when he struggled, and the Jets drafted Zach Wilson with the second pick in the 2021 draft to officially end the experiment. Although Mayfield led the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs in 2020 for the first time since 2002 and earned their first playoff win since 1994, his erratic play led to a 29-30 record as a starter and the signing of a megadeal with Deshaun Watson that eventually sent Mayfield packing.

Rookie Matt Corral was rumored to be in consideration as a first-round draft pick, but fell all the way to the third round and has the “QB of the future” tag, while third-year man P.J. Walker has to wonder where his future lies.

Fantasy football risk assessment: Christian McCaffrey vs. Alvin Kamara

With risks galore, which back is right for you?

It’s rare when doing a fantasy football comparison of elite players – Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey and New Orleans Saints RB Alvin Kamara – that potential jail time or a suspension factors into the decision.

Kamara was arrested in Las Vegas the night of the Super Bowl in an alleged altercation in which four men were charged with the beating of man that resulted in significant injuries. One of the charges Kamara faces is felony battery. His case has been pushed back months, and his next court appearance is scheduled for early August when the Saints are at training camp.

Seeing as the NFL tends to wait to hand down punishment until courts cases play out, the case may well drag into 2023. We’ve seen instances in which that wasn’t the case, though, so it can’t be entirely dismissed for fantasy calculus this summer.

For our purposes, this comparison is primarily based upon Kamara not facing a league suspension during the 2022 season.

Will Sam Darnold fend off Matt Corral in 2022?

Does Darnold have a long enough leash to fend off Corral?

When the Carolina Panthers hired Matt Rhule to be their new head coach after the 2019 season, they paid Baylor a $6 million buyout and handed a seven-year, $60 million deal to a coach who had spent only one season in the NFL — he was assistant offensive line coach for the New York Giants in 2012. Entering his third season on the job, Rhule is on the hot seat, having cobbled together a 10-23 mark with offenses that have finished 24th and 29th, respectively, in scoring.

As he steps into what could be a make-or-break season for his NFL future, Rhule will try to right the ship via the hiring of former New York Giants head coach Ben McAdoo as offensive coordinator and a selection of quarterbacks that includes Sam Darnold, third-rounder Matt Corral, and 27-year-old journeyman PJ Walker. In the words of Jim Carrey, “So you’re telling me there’s a chance.”

Sam Darnold

Acquired in April 2021 for a trio of draft picks, Darnold was off to a strong start, passing for 1,189 yards and five TDs in his first four games as the Panthers started the season 3-1. He further excited fantasy owners with his running efficiency, adding five rushing touchdowns in those four games — in hindsight that was almost certainly an aberration as the USC product has five rushing TDs combined across his other 46 NFL games.

The excitement was short lived.

While the loss of talented but injury-prone Christian McCaffrey was a blow to the offense, Darnold did nothing to make up for CMC’s absence and would struggle the rest of the way, getting injured as part of a disastrous showing against the New England Patriots in Week 9 during which he injured his shoulder. Darnold would return in late December to split time with Cam Newton, but nothing he showed over the final three weeks generated any enthusiasm for another year of Darnold at the helm.

Matt Corral

Corral started his final two seasons at Ole Miss under former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin, who used an RPO system in which Corral excelled: He was the only FBS player to amass more than 3,300 passing yards and 500 rushing yards in both 2020 and 2021. That speaks to his athleticism and dual-threat potential where he has a live arm to make throws and the speed/shiftiness to excel as a runner.

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All of that athleticism is wrapped up in a 215-pound frame, however, and though he played through hard contact at the collegiate level, there’s no question the punishment will be ramped up in the NFL. There’s also room to grow with his progressions as Kiffin’s system contained built-in, predetermined reads. Emotional maturity was thought to be an issue in the lead up to the draft as well, but Rhule was said to be comfortable with Corral in that department.

PJ Walker

If Darnold melts down or gets injured, and the team decides that playing Corral will do more harm than good, then you could see Walker get some snaps. He’s 2-0 in two starts for the Panthers under Rhule, but at best he’s a game manager with limited athleticism. This is “break in case of emergency” stuff.

Fantasy football outlook

At this juncture, you have to believe Darnold is the prohibitive favorite to open the season as Carolina’s starting quarterback. His strong play last September is something they can try to build on, and the fifth-year pro has had isolated success in his career. On another positive note, Carolina has ample weaponry in wide receivers D.J. Moore, Robby Anderson and Terrace Marshall Jr., along with a pass-catching monster in McCaffrey.

Corral feels like more of a developmental project, and his lack of size is a possible concern for a team that allowed 52 sacks (fifth most in the NFL) last year — they did spend the sixth overall pick on offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu to shore things up.

Neither player carries any draft-day appeal in traditional settings, though Corral’s dual-threat potential should make him an interesting target in dynasty leagues. Darnold is a fringe QB2 or much safer third in superflex designs.

Fantasy football team previews: NFC South

Key coaching changes and QB news have dominated the NFC South’s offseason.

The 2022 fantasy football draft season is starting to heat up now that we’ve gone through the height of free agency and all of the chosen rookies have been assigned to their professional home cities.

The landscape has changed a great deal for many franchises after a whirlwind offseason, and our divisional preview series will help you stay on top of all of the changes to date.

AFC divisional previews

East | North | South | West

NFC divisional previews

East | North | South | West

NFL Player Prop Bet Payday: Week 2

These Week 2 player prop bets are money in the bank!

As we get into Week 2, there is a paranoia among the 16 teams with a 0-1 record. Drop to 0-2 and you have a hole you’re digging out of for a month or more.

The prop bets for this week are based on the belief that the number adjustments on prop bets is being made a little too hastily.

Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook (updated Friday, Sept. 17, at 10:50 p.m. ET) … If you’re in CO or NJ, place all of your legal, online sports wagers with Tipico Sportsbook. 

Ride the Ell Train

In Week 1, the Dallas Cowboys decided they were going to play Tampa Bay’s game and throw 100 times between them. How did that work out? They lost. A week later, the Cowboys are an underdog against the Los Angeles Chargers – a far lesser team. By his standards, Ezekiel Elliott has a shockingly low rushing yardage Over/Under (60.5 yards at -114 for both the Over and Under). Dallas won’t come into this game assuming it has to get into a track meet. The Cowboys will take their time and pick their shots. If Elliott gets more than a dozen carries, he should hit this number. If he gets 20? He blows it out of the water. Take the Over.

It’s the Story of a Man Named Brady

In the opener against the Cowboys, Tom Brady threw 50 times, while his team ran the ball just 13 times with its two-headed running back tandem of Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones. Against the Atlanta Falcons, they should be able to take care of their business to the point that they take their foot off the gas and don’t feel obligated to get into the same kind of pass-happy mindset. Brady has an absurd passing yardage Over/Under (312.5 yards at -144 Over, -114 Under). The Bucs should run the ball 25 or more times in this game, which makes achieving that number very hard to hit, barring an assignment collapse. Take the Under.

Mister Christian (Oh, the time has come)

Christian McCaffrey returned healthy to the Carolina Panthers after an injury-marred 2020 season and did what he does – account for 180 total yards with nearly equal amounts rushing and receiving. Against the New Orleans Saints, he has a modest rushing yardage Over/Under (66.5 yards at -114 for both the Over and Under). Coming off their big win against Green Bay, then Saints are chest-thumping knowing that, historically, they have kept McCaffrey in check in the run game. One big run will get half of this total covered. It’s what he does with the other 15+ that will get the job done. Take the Over.

Ain’t Kissin’ Cousins

One thing Kirk Cousins isn’t adept at is being able to make up for a bogus offensive line and put an offense on his shoulders. His passing yardage Over/Under (268.5 yards at -114 for both the Over and Under) is significant. With an offensive line incapable of holding up in a 7-yard drop situation, his options are to try to Dalvin Cook as long as is practical or complete short slant passes before he gets hit. To hit this number, he either needs to complete 30 passes or be so far behind that the run game isn’t an option. The Vikings should hang around long enough that the panic button doesn’t get hit too early. Take the Under.

My Kupp Runneth Over

It’s always tough to predict yardage Over/Under numbers for Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp. He’s going to get his, it’s only a matter of what he does when he gets the ball in his hands in traffic. However, his reception Over/Under (5.5 receptions at -144 Over, -114 Under) is far less of a gamble. The Indianapolis Colts secondary is weakened and, even if Kupp catches six passes for 40 yards, he still hits the number needed to head to the pay window. Take the Over.

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