Davis Mattek said he has Christian McCaffrey ranked higher than the current Underdog ADP and is grabbing as many early shares as possible in the 6,600-entry Greyhound single-entry contest. Mattek expects McCaffrey’s price to rise throughout the summer, so locking him in now secures closing-line value. He emphasized that McCaffrey just finished as the overall RB1 last season and provides "projectable points" that are even more valuable in a smaller‐field tournament where screenshot-worthy rookie picks are less important than bankable weekly production.

JSU revealed that in 500-plus drafts last season he had zero shares of Christian McCaffrey, opting instead for Bijan Robinson whenever he wanted an early running back. The rationale remains the same for 2025: McCaffrey has logged massive dual-threat workloads for years, and the pattern of one dominant season followed by a banged-up campaign is tough to ignore. JSU expects eventual decline or missed games to catch up with CMC, making it too risky to invest a top-two pick in Best Ball where you cannot replace injured studs. He prefers to spend that capital on younger backs or elite wide receivers and live with the consequences.

Andy Holloway pushed back on McCaffrey’s lofty ADP, telling Jason Moore he "really doesn’t think it’s going to work out" for the veteran back in 2025. Holloway framed McCaffrey as one of the biggest gambles in fantasy drafts after last year’s Achilles and knee issues cost him the bulk of 2024. Even though beat-writer reports say McCaffrey looks fully recovered this spring, Holloway emphasized the possibility of re-injury and the mounting age-plus-workload concerns, concluding that using a top-five pick on him is more risk than he is willing to assume.

Mike Wright declared that he is comfortable drafting Christian McCaffrey as early as 1.01 and called landing him in the second round of a 10-team, three-wide mock a moral obligation. Wright acknowledged the "absolutely a gamble" element—McCaffrey missed most of 2024 with Achilles and knee injuries—but argued that a recent 32 Beat Writers report described him looking like his 2023 self with "extra pep" in San Francisco’s running game. If that health holds, Wright believes McCaffrey is a near-lock for another top-three RB finish and very possibly the runaway RB1, making the risk well worth the potential league-winning reward.

Greg Brainos pushed back on the idea that Christian McCaffrey’s price will keep climbing. He doesn’t see drafters letting McCaffrey leapfrog Malik Nabers, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Nico Collins or Puka Nacua, and doubts the consensus will ever rank him above Jahmyr Gibbs. Brainos expects the veteran to settle in the 1.06–1.08 range all summer, meaning there’s minimal closing-line value left at today’s cost.

Davis Mattek said he is hammering Christian McCaffrey at his current late-first ADP because he believes the market is about to push him up to the Jahmyr Gibbs/Puka Nacua range once drafters digest the steady stream of good news on the running back’s "German-engineered" Achilles. Mattek pointed to multiple glowing reports from 49ers coaches and independent injury analysts that McCaffrey is already moving without restriction. Given McCaffrey’s unrivaled per-game ceiling and bell-cow usage in Kyle Shanahan’s offense, Mattek thinks drafters will soon realize he should be the 1.01 whenever he’s healthy. He is loading up before that price correction hits and recommends best-ball players do the same.

Conner Allen said Christian McCaffrey is mispriced at 22-1 for Offensive Player of the Year and called it a classic buy-low opportunity. Allen argued that when healthy McCaffrey virtually guarantees top-three scrimmage yards thanks to an every-down role, heavy red-zone usage and Kyle Shanahan’s screen/angle-route obsession. He reminded listeners the award has become “best non-QB on a winning team,” and San Francisco projects for 12-plus wins because of the league’s softest unique-opponent trio (Giants, Browns, Bears) on top of the NFC and AFC South draw. Allen added that four of the last five OPOY winners came from top-two seeds, the exact script a healthy McCaffrey is likely to follow in a 17-game slate. Locking in 22-1 now banks closing-line value before camp reports confirm he’s 100 %.

Hartitz admitted he briefly toyed with ranking rookie Zamir White (“Gentie” in the transcription) as RB3 overall but has moved Christian McCaffrey back ahead of every challenger. He cited three main points: (1) McCaffrey’s role as the unquestioned focal point—new OC Klint Kubiak already said the offense ‘runs through CMC,’ and with Deebo Samuel banged up the running back could see a career-high target share; (2) San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan attack averaged 2.64 points per drive last season, while the Raiders offense ranking 31st in EPA per play gives White far less touchdown equity; (3) proven weekly ceiling—McCaffrey led all RBs in 30-plus point fantasy outings in both 2022 and 2023, whereas White is still a projection in a bottom-tier offense. Hartitz concluded he is no longer passing CMC at the 1.06-1.08 range regardless of format.

Tyler Sullivan expressed "lowercase concern" about betting Christian McCaffrey at +370 (third-shortest) for Comeback Player of the Year. Entering his age-29 season, McCaffrey led the NFL in touches during his last fully healthy campaign (2023) and subsequently dealt with Achilles and PCL injuries—mirroring the post-2019 drop-off he experienced in Carolina after a 403-touch year. Sullivan added that San Francisco’s offseason talent exodus, headlined by Debo Samuel, could funnel even more gadget and backfield touches to McCaffrey, compounding injury risk. High volume, advancing age, and a lengthy injury log make CMC a shaky futures bet and a fragile first-round pick in early fantasy drafts.

Jason Moore said he is fully back in on Christian McCaffrey despite three injury-marred seasons in the last five years. McCaffrey is reportedly 100 percent healthy this spring, and Moore expects Kyle Shanahan to keep him in a true bell-cow role. He brushed off the age-29 narrative, pointing out that elite backs such as Adrian Peterson and LaDainian Tomlinson maintained RB1 production at the same age. Vegas lists San Francisco’s win total at 10.5, and over the last four seasons every top-five fantasy RB has played on a team that averaged at least 10 wins—another box McCaffrey checks. Early ADP sits at RB8 on Sleeper and RB5 on Underdog, giving McCaffrey room to smash cost if he stays upright. Moore conceded the Draft Kit will tag him with a high injury-risk rating, but he still views the combination of volume, efficiency and touchdown equity in Shanahan’s offense as well worth the gamble in season-long drafts.

Buck cautioned that Christian McCaffrey’s touch count could be purposefully managed in 2025. With the 49ers eyeing another deep playoff run and McCaffrey approaching the age cliff for running backs, Buck suggested Kyle Shanahan may scale the veteran back from the 339-touch workload he logged last season. He pointed to San Francisco spending Day-2 money on speedster Isaac Guerendo and retaining Elijah Mitchell as signs that Shanahan wants to keep CMC fresh. Buck expects a clean bill of health in training camp to push McCaffrey’s Underdog ADP even higher—possibly ahead of Ashton Jeanty and into the top six overall—creating a sell opportunity for drafters worried about snap throttling and TD variance. He prefers backs like De’Von Achane, who carry similar ceilings without the looming workload cap.

Tyler Knaeble cautioned drafters against loading up on Christian McCaffrey at the 1-2 turn in best-ball rooms. Knaeble stated he is capping his own exposure around 8 percent because the 28-year-old back now carries a lengthy lower-body injury history and has logged 1,015 regular-season touches since joining San Francisco. While acknowledging that a fully healthy CMC still owns overall-RB1 upside, Knaeble believes the combination of age, cumulative workload, and San Francisco’s willingness to mix in Elijah Mitchell and rookie Isaac Guerendo raises the probability McCaffrey misses games or sees a snap-share dip late in the year. At current pricing he prefers pivoting to Jahmyr Gibbs or drafting early-second receivers, arguing their median outcomes are similar without the same durability risk.

Rob Coakley announced he will be completely fading Christian McCaffrey in 2025 best-ball drafts. He argued that tournament players chasing a top-1 percent outcome must make binary decisions on early-round studs: either draft them 20-plus percent when you think they are undervalued or go to zero when you view them as a potential landmine. At McCaffrey’s early-first ADP, Coakley sees more downside than upside—calling him a possible "falling knife" coming off another massive workload—and prefers leveraging the field by allocating that capital to other elites. In a cumulative-scoring format, he notes, rosters simply cannot recover if a first-round pick underperforms or misses time, so he is choosing the full fade and building structures that bet against McCaffrey’s ability to pay off his price tag.

Rob Coakley advised taking an extreme stance on Christian McCaffrey at his current first-round price, stating drafters should either lock in 20-plus-percent exposure or fade him entirely. Coakley is choosing a full fade, calling McCaffrey a potential "falling knife" and a draft landmine due to age, mileage, and the high opportunity cost of a top-five pick if his efficiency slips or injuries strike. By going to zero percent, he hopes to leverage the field and open room to overweight other early-round backs and receivers who offer comparable ceilings with fewer durability concerns in 2025 Best Ball tournaments.

Jason Moore said he is back in on Christian McCaffrey as a top‑5 overall pick so long as the 49ers wait until Round 4 or later to draft another runner. Moore does not expect San Francisco to spend Day‑2 capital, noting they already have cheap depth in Jordan Mason and third‑rounder Isaac Garando. Under Kyle Shanahan, late‑round backs historically cap at 3‑5 touches per game unless an injury strikes, so McCaffrey would still dominate high‑value work. Moore reminded listeners that in the 50 games McCaffrey has finished over the past five seasons he has averaged 23.8 half‑PPR points—RB1 level every year. The injury yo‑yo is real, but Moore argued the payoff outweighs the risk when the field overreacts to draft‑day headlines. He advised monitoring the draft closely; if the first 100 picks pass without a running back, McCaffrey immediately re‑enters no‑questions‑asked bell‑cow status in season‑long and best‑ball formats.

Andy Holloway cautioned managers against spending an early pick on Christian McCaffrey after last season’s four‑game flame‑out. Holloway expects San Francisco to add a Day‑1 or Day‑2 running back, arguing that drafting a high‑end rookie would allow the team to reduce McCaffrey’s touches at 28.8 years old and protect a significant financial investment. He pointed to McCaffrey’s boom‑or‑bust recent history—three healthy seasons sandwiched around campaigns of 3, 7, and 4 games played—and said the pain of losing a first‑rounder mid‑season simply is not worth the upside with safer elite backs on the board. Holloway believes McCaffrey can still finish as RB1 overall if healthy but views that outcome as an "all‑or‑nothing bet" that savvy drafters should avoid unless summer workload reports and draft results offer clear reassurance.