Christian McCaffrey's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (calf, Achilles) is in danger of missing two straight games. The superstar back was declared inactive a few hours before the season opener against the New York Jets on Monday. There was some controversy about backup running back Jordan Mason knowing he was going to start on Friday, but the team insisted that McCaffrey was a game-time decision. Now, it sounds like McCaffrey could sit out against the Minnesota Vikings this weekend. It's a short week and Minnesota does play on a turf, so it wouldn't be shocking to see the 49ers play it safe. They didn't seem to miss a beat with Mason running all over the Jets defense. The 49ers are likely going to draw this out all week, but fantasy managers who have McCaffrey rostered should get a backup plan ready for in case he does miss Week 2.

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (calf, Achilles) was somewhat of a surprising inactive during Monday's game against the New York Jets. The reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year was labeled as questionable with a calf and Achilles injury on Saturday's final injury report, but fantasy managers did not know he wouldn't play until the inactives list came out 90 minutes before kickoff on Monday. While McCaffrey's Week 2 status is still up in the air, head coach Kyle Shanahan said he would have played if it was a playoff game, which means his aliment could be manageable. The team is likely to be careful with McCaffrey early in the 2024 campaign, so Jordan Mason could be on the fantasy radar even when CMC returns to action.UPDATE: Shanahan says that McCaffrey will be "day-to-day" this week.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan clarified that running back Christian McCaffrey's (calf) injury did not involve a setback but was simply too bothersome for him to play effectively on Sunday. Despite practicing all week, McCaffrey's calf issue has been intermittent and proved too troublesome for this game. During the ESPN postgame interview, Jordan Mason mentioned he was informed on Friday night that he would be starting, but Shanahan corrected this, stating that Mason was only told he would likely see significant playing time and didn't confirm the starting role until the day of the game. Shanahan addressed the situation to prevent any potential league repercussions. The excellent news is McCaffrey did not suffer a setback, and he will have six days to recover before the 49ers face the Vikings in Week 2. McCaffrey remains a must-start if available, while Mason is his top backup and must start if McCaffrey is sidelined again.

In a big surprise, San Francisco 49ers All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey (calf, Achilles), the reigning Offensive Player of the Year in 2023, is inactive for the team's Week 1 regular-season opener on Monday night against the visiting New York Jets, according to sources. McCaffrey practiced on a limited basis with the team last week before being handed a questionable tag for Week 1, but he expressed optimism that he would play over the weekend and handle a near-normal workload. CMC was apparently more optimistic than the coaching staff, and they have decided to hold him out for another week. If CMC's fantasy managers don't already have backup Jordan Mason handcuffed, they could find themselves in a bind on Monday night. Mason is starting on Monday, with Patrick Taylor Jr. and rookie Isaac Guerendo also active and available. Guerendo will likely return kicks.

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (calf, Achilles) intends to play a full complement of snaps in Week 1, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. The running back is officially listed as questionable after being limited during practice, but the star running back has consistently vowed to suit up without any limitations on Monday night. Nevertheless, the 49ers will monitor McCaffrey throughout the game, and in the event that he needs to take snaps off, Jordan Mason would likely enter in his place. Even with the lingering injuries, McCaffrey is a high-end RB1 for fantasy purposes.