Matt LaMarca said Christian McCaffrey is an automatic cash-game spend-up at $7,500 on DraftKings after logging 22 carries and a 34% targets-per-route rate (30% team target share) in Week 1 while playing 75% of snaps. Even at a pedestrian 3.1 YPC, that usage translated to 23.2 DK points without a touchdown. LaMarca noted McCaffrey has averaged 23.94 DK points and a +6.0 Plus/Minus the 15 previous times he has been priced in this range. With Brock Purdy out and Mac Jones starting, LaMarca expects San Francisco to funnel even more rushes and back-field dump-offs to McCaffrey as three-point road favorites in New Orleans, giving him both the top median and ceiling projection plus the No. 1 projected Plus/Minus in FantasyLabs models.

James Boutros advised betting Christian McCaffrey over 83.5 rushing yards (-110) because San Francisco’s offense is gutted and has no choice but to ride its star back. Brock Purdy and George Kittle are ruled out, Jauan Jennings hasn’t practiced, and Mac Jones will start at quarterback, all of which points to a ground-heavy script. Boutros reminded readers that McCaffrey already handled 22 carries in Week 1, while the Saints surrendered 146 rushing yards and a chunky 5.4 yards per carry to Arizona. With virtually every skill player around him sidelined, Boutros expects another 20-plus-carry afternoon that pushes McCaffrey comfortably past the prop line.

DFS Army is "obsessed" with Christian McCaffrey again in Week 2, labeling him a value even at $7,500. The calf scare vanished once he logged 22 carries plus 10 targets (9 catches) in the opener, confirming true three-down usage. Against a New Orleans defense that has struggled to contain receiving backs, McCaffrey projects for both ground and air volume with minimal competition for touches—"Who else are they going to throw to?" DFS Army locked him in as a core cash-and-tournament play, expecting another 25-plus-touch outing.

Eric Polzin called Christian McCaffrey ‘one of the hardest clicks’ on the slate. San Francisco’s pass-catcher room is ravaged—Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, DeMarcus Robinson and multiple depth receivers are all questionable or out—so McCaffrey could soak up both carries and check-downs. Polzin will, however, set a lineup rule that prevents McCaffrey from appearing alongside both George Kittle and rookie Ricky Pearsall (and vice-versa), reasoning that Seattle will key on one focal point. He also cautioned that newly signed Brian Robinson Jr. may steal short-yardage work and that camp clips haven’t shown McCaffrey’s usual burst. Even with those caveats, the projected touch share keeps him in Polzin’s core player pool.

Andy Holloway cautioned managers that drafting Christian McCaffrey feels like playing a slot machine—massive upside when the symbols line up, but real risk they never do. He reminded listeners McCaffrey averaged over 24 PPR points per game in 2023 (essentially quarterback scoring) but played only four games in 2024 because of Achilles and knee injuries. With San Francisco’s backup running-back room and receiving corps each "falling apart," McCaffrey could see an even larger touch share, making him a potential league-winner if available. Holloway’s bottom line: you’re either comfortable embracing the volatile injury history at a top-five pick or you should pass, because no amount of analysis changes the boom-or-bust nature of the bet.

Jake Ciely said Christian McCaffrey is still the safest first-round pick on the board even after San Francisco acquired Brian Robinson. Ciely expects the passing-game usage to stay intact because the 49ers’ wide-receiver room is in shambles: Brandon Aiyuk is reportedly out six weeks, Jauan Jennings is iffy, DeMarcus Robinson is suspended, and Skyy Moore just arrived. With Kyle Shanahan needing someone he trusts on high-percentage routes, CMC should keep his heavy target share. Ciely conceded the rushing workload might slide a touch—Robinson could steal ‘four carries that would have been Guerendo’s’—but called that marginal and not enough to move McCaffrey from the top of his rankings.

Jim Coventry ranked Christian McCaffrey fourth but called him a premium swing pick in large-field tournaments. He noted that the 29-year-old has logged two fully healthy seasons in the last three years and that last year’s Achilles scare never resulted in a tear. Because McCaffrey missed extensive time in three separate seasons, his career touch count is lower than most backs his age. Kyle Shanahan still funnels both rushing and receiving work through him, and in each of McCaffrey’s last four full campaigns he finished RB1 or RB2. Coventry only nudged him down a couple spots for those who prefer to mitigate injury volatility in 12-team home leagues.

Tom Strachan said Christian McCaffrey is still a slam-dunk selection at 1.08 because his week-winning ceiling eclipses the risk that comes with turning 29 and the fact he has topped 11 games only once in the last four years. Strachan pointed to McCaffrey’s unrivalled pass-catching role, explosive rushing profile and proven league-winning history—“literally won championships for people only two years ago.” Training-camp reports have him practicing fully while every other San Francisco back has missed time, reinforcing his stranglehold on the job. Even if Isaac Guerendo siphons a few carries, Strachan still projects McCaffrey as a locked-in top-five running back, a tier that is nearly impossible to find outside the top half-dozen picks.

Jason Moore laid out a path to an all-49ers "super stack." If Christian McCaffrey slips to the early second round, he will draft him as a discounted RB1. If George Kittle is still on the board in the fourth, Moore is happy to add him, arguing both pieces are values at those prices even though RB and TE cannot score on the same play. Because betting on McCaffrey and Kittle to smash inherently means efficient quarterback play, Moore plans to round out the build with Brock Purdy in the late rounds. He emphasized that he will not force the stack at full price, but when both stars come at ADP discounts the concentrated upside in one of the league’s most efficient offenses is worth chasing.

Tom Strachan told drafters to gauge their own risk tolerance on Christian McCaffrey. The 29-year-old has logged more than 11 games only once in the past four seasons, but when on the field he is still a consensus league winner. McCaffrey participated fully in OTAs—running drills many veterans skipped—suggesting his 2024 Achilles issues are behind him. The 49ers traded away Jordan Mason and are currently dealing with an injury to backup Isaac Guerendo, signaling confidence in McCaffrey’s health and projected workload. Strachan expects top-five RB production even if a small slice of touches goes to Guerendo, making McCaffrey a volatile but justifiable swing at 1.05.

Pat Mayo said he nearly moved Christian McCaffrey to his 1.01 slot and insisted the veteran should never fall past pick nine. Mayo argued that with the 49ers offense ravaged by injuries, the team may have to “give McCaffrey the ball 800 times a game,” making volume king once again. He dismissed the idea that McCaffrey is uniquely injury-prone, noting no running back carries less risk than another at the top of drafts, while McCaffrey owns the highest PPR points-per-game mark in NFL history. For managers chasing pure league-winning ceiling, Mayo is comfortable selecting McCaffrey as early as the first overall pick.

Jacob Sanderson said he is fading Christian McCaffrey in Underdog’s Best Ball Mania while viewing him as the ideal early-round selection in the FFPC Main Event. Sanderson emphasized that format context drives the stance: McCaffrey’s week-to-week floor and elite touch share fit managed leagues that reward season-long consistency, but his BBM price is prohibitive for tournament structures that are decided by single-week ceilings in the playoff rounds.

Best Ball Guy explained why Christian McCaffrey is his most drafted Eliminator pick (nearly 30% exposure). McCaffrey owns a Week 14 bye and what BBG calls ‘the easiest schedule in the NFL,’ giving him maximum scoring windows in Weeks 1-13— exactly when Eliminator teams must avoid weekly bottom-half finishes. The host expects the 49ers star’s game-breaking dual-threat production to single-handedly propel at least one of his 30 Eliminator rosters through the early cuts. His goal: ride CMC’s ceiling to reach Week 13 and pocket the $4K top prize before the bye even matters.

Matthew Freedman advised buying Christian McCaffrey after his ADP climbed to 9.7 but still sits outside the top five. Freedman noted McCaffrey was last year’s universal 1.01, is now healthy, and projects as one of the few backs likely to clear both 50 targets and 10 touchdowns. With several San Francisco skill players battling injuries, Freedman expects Kyle Shanahan to funnel even more touches McCaffrey’s way, giving him overall RB1 upside at a late-first price.

Jakob Sanderson said he is perfectly happy clicking Christian McCaffrey as early as the 1.03 in the FFPC Main Event, calling him "a way better pick in the main event than in BestBallMania" because managed-league lineups let you replace an injury-out while still capturing McCaffrey’s unrivaled weekly ceiling. Sanderson pointed out that McCaffrey has not missed a single OTA or training-camp rep and is practicing without limitations. He added that San Francisco’s schedule is “so cake”—Houston is the toughest road opponent thanks to last-place scheduling perks—so the 49ers should be playing from ahead most weeks, feeding high-value touches to their bell-cow. In Sanderson’s view we will look back and say McCaffrey "probably should have been the 101 the whole time."

Andy Holloway advised pushing Christian McCaffrey down draft boards—he has the 49ers back buried at RB6—because McCaffrey’s recent production is an obvious outlier and the red-flags outweigh the upside at his current cost. Holloway reminded listeners that the previous season in which McCaffrey stayed healthy (22 PPR points per game) was immediately followed by an injury-marred campaign that torpedoed fantasy teams. While McCaffrey enters 2025 off a relatively light workload, Holloway argued that history tells us high-end seasons rarely repeat and that McCaffrey now carries more durability and regression concerns than peers such as Saquon Barkley, Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs, who he believes offer a similar RB1 ceiling with fewer ways to fail. The takeaway: do not spend an early-round pick on McCaffrey when safer, equally explosive options sit in the same tier.

Andy Holloway argued that Christian McCaffrey is too risky at the 1.03 slot. McCaffrey has been a "league winner" twice but a "league loser" three of the past five seasons because injuries wrecked fantasy rosters that invested top-3 capital. Holloway emphasized that CMC must both stay healthy for 17 games AND exceed 300 total opportunities to justify the cost—anything less makes him replaceable by safer backs available later. While acknowledging San Francisco’s soft schedule and favorable win totals, Holloway prefers alternative builds that avoid banking on the most injury-prone star in the first round, calling it a smarter, not scared, approach.

Mike Wright urged fantasy drafters to take Christian McCaffrey in the first round and live with the injury variance. Wright called CMC a “cheat code,” noting that the last time McCaffrey played a full season he appeared on 47 % of fantasy championship rosters and out-scored the RB2 by a full point per game. The 49ers are favored in 15 of 17 contests and own one of the league’s easiest running-back schedules, so Wright expects a run-heavy, positive-game-script environment. If McCaffrey reaches 300+ touches over 17 games, Wright believes he is the clear overall RB1 and worth the early capital; passing on him, in Wright’s view, is playing scared rather than playing to win.

Kerrane called McCaffrey “probably your best” expensive running-back bet because there are so few scenarios where a healthy CMC isn’t smashing. The 49ers offense is designed around him, so a successful first-round selection almost automatically means weekly RB1 production. The only realistic fail case is injury; otherwise McCaffrey’s touch dominance erases the need to worry about spike weeks—he simply occupies your RB slot all season while you chase upside elsewhere.

Pat Kerrane said Christian McCaffrey is the only expensive running back who truly fits a hero-RB build this year. His argument was that McCaffrey monopolizes the 49ers backfield whenever he is healthy, so there are very few outcomes in which you draft him early and still have weekly lineup holes at the position. The only ways the pick fails are injury-related or a completely unexpected offensive philosophy shift, both of which Kerrane views as low-probability. In every healthy scenario McCaffrey delivers 20-plus touches, elite red-zone work and the pass-catching floor that separates him from every other first-round runner, making him the safest anchor for Best Ball or managed formats.

Sam Monson told drafters not to let last year’s bilateral-tendonitis trip to Germany scare them away from Christian McCaffrey. Twitter-doctor types he follows expect a full recovery, and Monson reminded listeners that whenever McCaffrey is near 100 percent he is a one-man cheat code for Kyle Shanahan: league-leading snap share, top-five target share among backs, and unmatched red-zone usage. Even if the 49ers manage his practice reps, Monson expects 18+ touches and elite receiving volume every week, making McCaffrey a locked-in first-round fantasy pick and a safe building block for Season-Long contests.

With Brandon Aiyuk on PUP, Deebo Samuel traded, Jauan Jennings nursing a calf, and rookie Ricky Pearsall unproven, Freedman projects Christian McCaffrey for 82 targets and a position-high 265.8 points. Healthy after last year's knee issue, McCaffrey averaged 281 scrimmage yards on 43 carries and 16 targets over his first three fully healthy games (88 Utilization Score). Freedman expects the 49ers offense to run through McCaffrey and is comfortable ranking him as the overall RB1 even at RB4 ADP (10.4).

Koh urged drafters to pass on Christian McCaffrey at Rotowire’s RB6 ADP. Now 29, McCaffrey is coming off a torn Achilles *and* a major PCL injury that limited him to just four games last season, after already accumulating a career’s worth of touches. Koh compared the situation to Nick Chubb’s fade-out in Houston and said it’s unrealistic to expect McCaffrey to reclaim 2023 form without any discount baked in. The ceiling is still elite, but the floor is "cliff-level" in his view.

Best Ball Guy called Christian McCaffrey his definitive "Eliminator-ass pick of the year." Because Underdog’s Eliminator format can knock drafters out as early as Week 1, he wants a high-floor, high-ceiling bell-cow who can pile up points immediately, and McCaffrey fits that bill while conveniently resting on a Week 14 bye that won’t interfere with the early elimination windows. Guy paired CMC with Jonathan Taylor— a combination he had 0% exposure to— in order to front-load scoring and diversify his portfolio. The strategy, he explained, maximizes early-week survival odds and offers a unique advance-rate profile compared to his wide-receiver-heavy builds in other tournaments.

Chris Raybon advised fading Christian McCaffrey at his consensus top-five ADP, ranking him RB8 because of mounting durability concerns. Since 2020 McCaffrey’s game counts read 3, 7, 17, 16 and 4, and now at age 29 Raybon believes the veteran is entering the decline phase for running backs. San Francisco traded away Jordan Mason, released Elijah Mitchell and already lost backup Isaac Guerendo, signaling Kyle Shanahan intends to give McCaffrey another league-leading workload. Raybon sees that as a red flag, especially with Shanahan’s history of secrecy around injuries. He prefers backs like Ashton Jeanty who come with fewer health questions and would only draft McCaffrey if he slips outside the top five picks.

Davis Mattek said to hammer Christian McCaffrey when he falls to pick 10 because the market is over-discounting health risk. Mattek called McCaffrey "the best fantasy football player of our lifetime" and noted that his fully-healthy seasons have been "absolutely outrageous" in full-PPR scoring. Even 80 % of that peak still projects as a top-3 overall outcome. At 10th overall you are getting him three spots past current ADP while locking in a true bell-cow for a classic Hero-RB roster. Mattek argued it is illogical for drafters to admit McCaffrey’s ceiling yet rank him behind volatile backs like Devon Achane; either he belongs in the top two picks or much later, and the discount window should be exploited.

Davis Mattek said drafters should pounce on Christian McCaffrey whenever he lasts to the back half of Round 1, calling him “the best fantasy football player of my lifetime.” Mattek admitted there are real concerns— an offseason Achilles scare and the chance Kyle Shanahan lightens McCaffrey’s workload— but argued the ceiling is unmatched. McCaffrey is still the only back projecting for 20-plus touches while commanding elite receiving usage, a profile that fueled multiple league-leading points-per-game seasons. Anchoring a Hero-RB build with McCaffrey and then grabbing a potential overall WR1 on the 2/3 turn gives managers a two-player foundation other roster constructions cannot replicate.

Sam Wallace planted his flag on Christian McCaffrey as the player he most wants when drafting from the 1.06 slot. Fantasy Life’s 2025 projections slot CMC as the RB4 in PPR—only three points shy of RB2—despite last year’s disappointment. Wallace argued the 49ers quietly cleared the deck for a massive workload: Jordan Mason signed with Minnesota, leaving only Isaac Guerendo and Jordan James behind McCaffrey, while Deebo Samuel’s departure and Brandon Aiyuk’s uncertain timeline strip the offense of proven target earners. With Brock Purdy likely leaning on check-downs to McCaffrey and George Kittle, Wallace believes the touch ceiling that once made CMC a league-winner is back in play and the middle of round one is the cheapest exposure drafters will get all summer.

Matthew Freedman said Christian McCaffrey is fully healthy and has participated in every offseason activity, still operating in Kyle Shanahan’s scheme with Brock Purdy, Trent Williams and Kyle Juszczyk clearing the way. With backup runners Jordan Mason and Elijah Mitchell gone and an uncertain 49ers wide-receiver room, Freedman expects the 2025 offense to funnel through McCaffrey. He cited McCaffrey’s three full 2024 games (281 rushing yards on 43 carries, 16 targets, 88 Utilization Score) as proof the talent remains elite and projected him to finish as the fantasy RB1 if he stays on the field.

Best Ball Guy slammed the draft button on Christian McCaffrey in his latest Eliminator, bumping his exposure in the contest to 26%. He explained that Eliminator pools can cut teams after every one of the first three weeks, so starting fast is non-negotiable. McCaffrey’s sky-high weekly floor and ceiling make him the premier anchor to keep a roster alive early, and his Week 14 bye means he is available throughout the advancement window. The tout prefers to pair CMC with another ceiling back such as Kenneth Walker, allowing him to take advantage of wide-receiver value that tends to fall later in these rooms.

Joe Beldner said drafters should keep Christian McCaffrey locked into the opening round even though he cratered to RB67 last season. McCaffrey missed nine of 2024’s first nine weeks, appeared in only four total games, and was shut down after Week 13, yet Beldner reminded readers that the 49ers back had finished RB1 and RB2 the previous two seasons. The article stresses that nothing in Kyle Shanahan’s offense has changed—San Francisco still funnels touches and scoring chances through its lead back—and McCaffrey’s current RB6 Sleeper ADP already bakes in the durability risk. Beldner framed the pick as paying late-first cost for the one back who has repeatedly shown overall-RB1 ceiling whenever he is healthy, a trade-off he is willing to make in 2025 drafts.

Best Ball Guy is making Christian McCaffrey his automatic 1.01 in Underdog Eliminator drafts, even while fading him in other tournaments. The Week-14 bye lines up perfectly with Eliminator playoff structure and McCaffrey’s combination of 25-point floor and 40-point ceiling provides unmatched advance-rate juice. He already holds roughly 30 % exposure and plans to keep pushing that share.

Mike Clay cautioned managers against spending premium picks on running backs who will be 29 or older in 2025—Christian McCaffrey, Joe Mixon, Derrick Henry, Alvin Kamara, James Conner and Aaron Jones—pointing to a five-year sample in which the average top-15 fantasy RB entered the season at age 25.1 and only 9% of those finishes came from backs 29+. Although several elders cracked the top 15 in 2024, Clay expects a regression toward the historical mean this year. He instead advised leaning into youth: target ascending backs such as Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, Kyren Williams, Breece Hall, Kenneth Walker III and a deep rookie class headlined by Ashton Jeanty and Omarion Hampton. Drafters who fade the graybeards can embrace a Zero-RB build—load up on receivers early, then pounce on younger upside backs in the middle rounds, trusting injuries and attrition to create weekly RB2 starters from that stash.

Freedman called Christian McCaffrey a screaming value even after his ADP rose to 10.5 overall (RB5). He ranks McCaffrey RB1 in projections and RB3 in redraft rankings, noting the back is finally entering camp healthy. With Deebo Samuel gone, Brandon Aiyuk on PUP, Ricky Pearsall unproven, and Jauan Jennings nursing a calf, Freedman expects Kyle Shanahan to funnel the offense through McCaffrey. He reminded readers that, despite arriving mid-season last year, McCaffrey produced 281 rushing yards on 43 carries and 16 targets with an 88 Utilization Score in his first three full games. If you believe he stays healthy, Freedman says you should gladly draft him ahead of current cost in every format.

McFarland called McCaffrey a "SMASH pick" at the 11th overall ADP and even early Round 2. Healthy again and practicing in full, CMC averaged 22.5 and 25.2 PPG in his first two San Francisco seasons with dual-threat usage (49–63% attempt share, 20–22% target share). With Deebo Samuel gone and Brandon Aiyuk uncertain, Shanahan should funnel touches through McCaffrey. McFarland’s ceiling/floor model (15.1 rushes, 5.1 targets projected) spits out a 25.8-point ceiling—highest of any back—and historical aging comps show 79% of similar dual-threats topped 16.5 PPG at age 28-31. He acknowledges injury risk but says the payoff dwarfs it.

Billy Ward ranked Christian McCaffrey inside the overall top ten—above his 11.5 ADP—arguing last year’s four-game campaign was injury noise for a still-elite, 28-year-old back who previously dominated fantasy scoring. Volume in Kyle Shanahan’s offense plus proven receiving chops support an immediate snap-back to first-round value.

Jerry Donabedian said the market finally pushed Christian McCaffrey’s Underdog/Drafters ADP from 11.55 in May to 7.90 in mid-July (+3.65 spots, +31.6 %). After practicing without limitations and drawing "explosive" reviews from fullback Kyle Juszczyk, Donabedian argued that McCaffrey is as likely as anyone to finish 2025 as fantasy’s No. 1 non-QB scorer. While acknowledging a bit more injury downside than Ja'Marr Chase, Bijan Robinson or Jahmyr Gibbs, he has “zero problem” clicking McCaffrey in the middle of Round 1 and expects the community to shove him into the top half of the first by the end of summer best-ball season.

Matthew Freedman placed Christian McCaffrey back atop his rankings with a 12.1-TD, 265.8-point projection. Freedman emphasized that McCaffrey is fully healthy after last year’s knee woes and has participated in every offseason phase. The veteran already owns 31 touchdowns in 31 regular-season games with San Francisco and, in three full contests last year, averaged 43 touches/targets and an 88 Utilization Score despite skipping preseason work. With the 49ers’ wide-receiver depth chart unsettled, Freedman expects Kyle Shanahan to funnel the offense through McCaffrey, making him a safe bet to reclaim RB1 overall honors at a modest 10.4 ADP.

Jerry Donabedian said the market finally corrected on Christian McCaffrey, whose Underdog/Drafters ADP has jumped from 11.6 to 7.9 (+31.6%) after a fully-participatory spring and glowing camp reports from fullback Kyle Juszczyk. Donabedian emphasized that McCaffrey 'is as likely as anyone to be the leading non-QB fantasy scorer' and has no lingering limitations from last year’s calf issue. He is comfortable drafting McCaffrey anywhere in the mid-first and expects the price to settle in the top half of Round 1 by late August, noting the only real risk is the usual durability tax that comes with 300-touch potential.

Jerry Donabedian said the market finally caught up to Christian McCaffrey after his full-speed offseason. McCaffrey took every rep during OTAs, drew raves from Kyle Juszczyk for looking "as explosive as ever," and has pushed his Underdog/Drafters ADP from 11.55 in mid-May to 7.90 in mid-July (+31.6 %). Donabedian expects him to be the most likely non-QB to top the fantasy scoring chart and is perfectly comfortable grabbing him in the middle of Round 1, predicting his price settles in the top half of the first by late August despite the well-known durability downside.

Pat Mayo said he would not take Christian McCaffrey until picks 8–9 overall in 2025 redraft leagues. Mayo knocked McCaffrey down because the backfield’s surrounding offense has finished 30th or worse in scoring in four of the past five seasons, a trend he believes caps touchdown and yardage upside relative to other elite first-round options. Mayo’s personal board has Ja'Marr Chase, Bijan Robinson, Saquon Barkley, Jahmyr Gibbs, CeeDee Lamb, Justin Jefferson and Amon-Ra St. Brown ahead of McCaffrey. The takeaway for season-long drafters is to treat McCaffrey as a late-first safety valve rather than a top-3 cornerstone.

Jake Ciely ranks Christian McCaffrey RB4 behind Bijan Robinson, Saquon Barkley and Jahmyr Gibbs. Ciely projects McCaffrey for roughly 21 PPR points per game—down from his 24-point peak—and argues that a 1–1.5-point advantage over the next tier is not enough to ignore multiple lower-body injuries the past three seasons. Because the per-game gap has narrowed, he would rather bank on younger or safer options early. Ciely is comfortable taking McCaffrey at pick eight but will select Chase, Lamb, Jefferson, Robinson, Barkley, Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown first.

Rich Hribar said there is a very real path for Christian McCaffrey to pace San Francisco in targets this season, not just catches out of the backfield. Hribar pointed out that Jauan Jennings is tentatively penciled in as the opening-week WR1, Brandon Aiyuk’s return date is still cloudy, Ricky Pearsall is an unproven rookie, and George Kittle has missed chunks of multiple seasons. With Deebo Samuel gone, the passing-game pecking order is wide-open, making McCaffrey’s receiver-level workload a live outcome. Hribar drafted McCaffrey with the expectation he will function as both RB1 and de-facto slot option, turning him into a best-ball cheat code in full-PPR formats.

Ray Summerlin pointed to Jeff Mueller’s medical notes that McCaffrey ditched last year’s sprint-heavy offseason—which triggered tendonitis— for a new program, and every training-camp report has been unanimously positive. Summerlin framed McCaffrey as a true binary asset: if he is active, the role and Kyle Shanahan’s usage make it almost impossible for him to fail. The 49ers’ schedule features multiple high-total matchups, further boosting ceiling outcomes. Summerlin concluded that at pick 8 you really only have to get one question right—"Is he on the field?"—and if the answer is yes, McCaffrey’s workload and touchdown equity deliver week-winning best-ball production.

Rich Hribar reminded listeners that Jeff Mueller’s medical breakdown labeled McCaffrey’s past Achilles issue as tendonitis—not the chronic tendonosis many drafters fear. Because tendonitis typically resolves without long-term damage, Hribar believes the re-injury probability is far lower than the market assumes. With the medical red flag softened, he is comfortable scooping McCaffrey anywhere in the back half of Round 1, knowing the running back’s league-winning upside remains intact.

Ray Summerlin said he is happily selecting Christian McCaffrey whenever the 49ers back slips to pick 7 or later in DraftKings’ $15 million best-ball contest. Summerlin acknowledged the obvious durability concerns but argued that McCaffrey’s week-tilting ceiling is unmatched and worth the gamble in a 150-entry portfolio. His logic: some rosters will inevitably bust, so using late-first draft capital on the one player who can single-handedly win an overall prize creates a payoff no other running back offers at that spot.

Freedman argued that Christian McCaffrey’s ADP jump to 10.5 overall (RB5) still isn’t steep enough. With Deebo Samuel gone, Brandon Aiyuk on PUP, rookie Ricky Pearsall unproven, and Jauan Jennings nursing a calf, he expects the 49ers offense to funnel through a fully healthy McCaffrey. He reminded readers that—even without a full camp in 2024—McCaffrey racked up 281 rushing yards on 43 carries plus 16 targets in his first three games while posting an 88 Utilization Score. McCaffrey sits as RB1 in Freedman’s projections and RB3 in his rankings, so he views the perennial workhorse as a bargain whenever he slides past the first half-dozen picks.

Best Ball Guy explained that he has been light on Christian McCaffrey in most new Underdog tournaments because the star back battled double Achilles tendonitis last season and carries typical workhorse injury risk. However, he is hammering CMC in the Eliminator contest, where you simply have to avoid weekly cuts and the playoffs conclude before McCaffrey’s Week-14 bye kicks in. With the bye no longer a penalty and McCaffrey’s weekly 25-point ceiling still intact, Best Ball Guy believes CMC is a slate-breaker in that specific format and is worth his top-three overall price tag there.

Pat Kerrane explained why he is holding only 3–8 % Christian McCaffrey across platforms. The 29-year-old is coming off an Achilles tear that erased nearly all of 2024 yet now costs a mid-first-round pick after opening the offseason at the 1-2 turn. Paying that premium means passing on Puka Nacua, Malik Nabers, or Nico Collins—young receivers Kerrane believes match McCaffrey’s weekly ceiling without the age or re-injury risk. While he will still click CMC when the room lets him fall, Kerrane views the veteran back as the easiest first-round leverage fade in Best Ball tournaments that reward unique WR-heavy builds.

Referencing Ben Gretch’s projections, Shawn Siegele highlighted that Christian McCaffrey remains a slam-dunk first-rounder even if San Francisco scales back touches. Gretch notes McCaffrey already posted a 400-point fantasy season and still profiles for the league’s highest weekly ceiling thanks to red-zone usage, reception volume and scheme efficiency. Even a modest dip in snaps leaves his point-per-snap output lapping the RB field, making him a safe and high-upside cornerstone for FFPC Best Ball rosters.

For drafters chasing ceiling, Coventry urged taking Christian McCaffrey at 1.05 despite the perceived injury risk. Two of the last three years CMC played every game, and the 2024 absence was a non-football Achilles issue that is fully healed. In each of his four healthy seasons he has finished as the overall RB1 or RB2, a resume no other back can touch. Coventry labeled him the high-risk, high-reward option compared to more ‘stable’ choices like Gibbs or Barkley.