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

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (calf) will not practice this week, but head coach Kyle Shanahan expects CMC back at practice next week when the team starts making final preparations for the Divisional Round. The best running back in football suffered a mild right-calf strain in Week 17 and was held out as a precaution in a meaningless Week 18 regular season finale against the Los Angeles Rams last weekend. With a bye in the first round of the playoffs as the top seed in the NFC, the Niners are expecting McCaffrey to be ready for the Divisional Round against an opponent yet to be determined. Regardless of which team travels to San Francisco to take on the 49ers, McCaffrey is going to be the highest-priced RB for DFS lineups next weekend.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that running back Christian McCaffrey (calf) is dealing with a mild calf strain and will not play in the Week 18 regular season finale against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, Jan. 7. The 49ers have already clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC and a first-round bye, so McCaffrey and likely a lot of other starters are going to be rested in a meaningless game to close out the regular season. It's a prime example of why most fantasy leagues wrap up their championships in Week 17. With the 27-year-old resting up the next two weeks, Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason will both have bigger roles in the Niners' backfield, with Mitchell being the more attractive fantasy play for those with something still on the line this week. CMC was a league-winner for fantasy managers in 2023, finishing as the RB1 through 17 weeks with 361.8 half-PPR points.

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (calf) left the Week 17 win over the Washington Commanders in the third quarter with what could be a right-calf strain. He didn't return to the contest, but he indicated after the game that it was more of a precautionary move. "I think it was minor and just made the smart move, especially not knowing what was going to happen next week," McCaffrey said. "I didn't just want to go in there and make it any worse. With certain things, you can't be dumb about it." CMC had 91 scrimmage yards before the injury to push his season total over 2,000. With the Niners locked into the top seed in the NFC for the playoffs, McCaffrey, as well as many other starters, are likely going to be rested in the Week 18 regular season finale versus the division-rival Los Angeles Rams.