San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey made his 2024 debut in a 23-20 victory in Tampa over the Buccaneers on Sunday. In a bit of a fantasy disappointment to managers waiting for a return on their first-round investment, McCaffrey took 13 carries for 37 yards rushing and caught six of seven targets for 68 yards receiving. Credit should go to Tampa Bay's ground defense for consistently bottling up San Francisco's rushing attack. If not for one 13-yard rush, McCaffrey would have averaged 2.2 yards per carry. Still, today's game represents the floor for a healthy McCaffrey. Importantly for CMC managers who remain in the playoff hunt, there were no signs of a setback with the dual Achilles tendinitis that held him out until today. McCaffrey did come off the field a few times, probably due to some combination of the Florida heat and his conditioning, but he only ceded two carries to his backups. Assuming he came away unscathed, McCaffrey is a must-start in Week 11 versus Seattle.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy aired it out in a 23-20 victory over the Buccaneers in Tampa on Sunday. He finished with 25 completions of 36 attempts for 353 yards and two touchdowns passing to go with four scrambles for 17 yards on the ground. The yardage total was the third-highest of his career. Purdy looked poised, ceding zero turnovers, though he did have a fourth-quarter punchout recovered by teammate Jauan Jennings. The former Cyclone's first touchdown pass was a 46-yard catch-and-run on a crossing route to rookie Ricky Pearsall and his second came on a fourth-quarter 11-yard corner toe-tapper to tight end George Kittle. The return of Christian McCaffrey appeared to boost the 49ers' offense as predicted, and Purdy took advantage, targeting CMC seven times. Purdy and the 49ers will host the Seattle Seahawks at home in Week 11.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. (rib, oblique) is officially active for Week 10 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He had been listed as questionable after logging three limited practices in a row. Samuel has delivered modest production so far this season, catching just 24 passes for 406 yards and one touchdown through seven games. Fantasy managers should still deploy him, given his talent, role, and usage, but his days of being a surefire WR1 are over. For now, he's a riskier WR2 play.

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) is officially active for Week 10 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He had been listed as questionable but was widely expected to play after the Niners activated him from injured reserve on Saturday. The star running back has not yet appeared in a game this season, so Sunday represents his much-anticipated return. Many fantasy managers who selected McCaffrey with the 1.01 pick in fantasy drafts felt betrayed by his long absence, but now, he has a chance to make it up with a strong stretch throughout the second half of the season. In case he has a reduced workload, McCaffrey ranks as a low-end RB1 in his first game back. In future weeks, though, he'll likely rank among the top three running backs, joining the conversation with Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry.

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) will suit up for the Week 10 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. McCaffrey is set to make his season debut after missing the few first months due to a lingering Achilles issue. The return of McCaffrey should mean that Jordan Mason falls into the backup role which will decrease his value. There was uncertainty around how many snaps McCaffrey would play during his first game. It doesn't sound like he's going to be limited, so fantasy managers can get McCaffrey back in their lineups ahead of this Week 10 matchup.