- Nobody can beat peak Christian McCaffrey: McCaffrey at his greatest has outscored each different lively operating again at their greatest.
- Accidents have been a serious concern: McCaffrey has missed important enjoying time in three of the final 5 seasons and is among the many older lively operating backs.
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Estimated Studying Time: 5 minutes
PFF’s Fantasy Soccer Participant Profile collection delivers essentially the most in-depth fantasy soccer evaluation accessible for the 2025 season.
Utilizing PFF’s unique knowledge, we consider participant efficiency, competitors for touches and the way teammates and training staffs will affect every participant’s fantasy soccer outlook.
Final up to date: 7:15 a.m. Saturday, Might 10
Participant efficiency
Christian McCaffrey was the eighth total decide of the 2017 NFL Draft. Since he was drafted, there have been 10 instances of a operating again averaging no less than 24 fantasy factors per sport in a season, and he has 4 of them. That features the one season previously three years, and the highest two seasons in fantasy factors per sport.
He’s achieved his elite fantasy manufacturing by being one of the best receiving again within the league, in addition to one of the best runner. Since becoming a member of the San Francisco 49ers, he’s additionally benefited from enjoying in among the best offenses within the league behind a robust offensive line.
McCaffrey’s downfall in current seasons has been his accidents. He performed each sport in his first three seasons. In 2020, he suffered an ankle damage, an A/C joint sprain and glute pressure, main him to solely play three video games. In 2021, he suffered a hamstring pressure adopted by an ankle sprain, main him to play in seven video games. This previous 12 months, he handled Achilles tendinitis in each toes. He returned for 4 video games however then a PCL sprain ended his season.
By all accounts, McCaffrey needs to be at 100% for the beginning of the season. Nevertheless, he’s 29 years outdated, previous the age when operating backs peak. McCaffrey wasn’t very efficient in his 4 video games final season, however he seemingly wasn’t 100% in these video games. He could possibly be again to his regular self, wherein case, he could possibly be the highest total operating again in fantasy. There’s additionally an opportunity we by no means see the identical participant he was in 2023, when he was a first-team All-Professional. There’s additionally an opportunity he by no means returns to being that participant, or accidents proceed to pile up, wherein case, McCaffrey wouldn’t be value drafting.
Projected position
McCaffrey could be the function again if wholesome, however given his age and damage historical past, there’s a likelihood he sees a decreased position.
San Francisco traded away Jordan Mason, which needs to be a very good signal that the 49ers belief McCaffrey to no less than be wholesome at the beginning of the season. The 49ers drafted Jordan James within the fifth spherical, however they’ve additionally drafted a operating again in most seasons of their current historical past, and after buying and selling Mason, they might use a 3rd operating again.
McCaffrey is at a standing the place his position can be 100% depending on what the 49ers assume he can deal with, no matter who the backups are.
It’s value noting that the crew moved on from Deebo Samuel Sr., who was a large receiver who ran greater than all different broad receivers and in addition caught numerous quick passes. There’s a likelihood we might see McCaffrey used as a large receiver slightly extra typically to do a few of the issues Samuel did.
Influence of teammates
McCaffrey will proceed having Kyle Shanahan as his head coach. Shanahan’s tendencies under have largely been primarily based on when McCaffrey has been on the crew and wholesome. The crew was at its greatest in 2023 when McCaffrey was with them and wholesome for the entire season, and that was additionally the time when the 49ers focused operating backs essentially the most.
The 49ers’ offensive line was a serious asset for McCaffrey in 2023 when it had the very best crew run-blocking grade. The road wasn’t pretty much as good in 2024, nevertheless it nonetheless ranked third total. Left deal with Trent Williams had his run-blocking grade drop from the 90.0s to 81.4, which remains to be superb however not as elite as he as soon as was. He can be 37 years outdated by the beginning of the season, so we are able to’t count on him to return to his 2023 kind. Discovering Dominick Puni was an enormous win for the 49ers’ offense. The first concern heading into 2025 is at left guard after Aaron Banks landed with the Inexperienced Bay Packers. Nick Zakelj is penciled in for the beginning position, however he hasn’t seemed nice in his two profession begins.
This could nonetheless be one of many higher offensive traces within the league, however it could fall out of the highest 5.
Backside line
McCaffrey is among the riskiest picks a fantasy supervisor could make early in drafts as a result of he has a wider vary of outcomes than most gamers. Whereas anybody might get injured, McCaffrey’s repeated accidents make him extra of an damage threat. Even when he doesn’t undergo one other damage, the 49ers might think about limiting his workload, or the accidents might have stopped him from being as elite, which naturally occurs with age anyway. He might additionally dominate leagues if he returns to his traditional kind.
Footnotes
- Statistics in tables and charts have been chosen primarily based on their capability to foretell future fantasy efficiency on a per-game or per-opportunity foundation or to explain the participant relative to others on the identical place.
- “Alternatives” are outlined as passing dropbacks, speeding makes an attempt and routes run as a receiver.
- Numbers are offered both by season or primarily based on the previous three years. For rookies, solely school statistics are included. For non-rookies, solely NFL statistics are thought-about, no matter whether or not they performed in school inside the earlier three years.
- As school competitors is less complicated than NFL competitors, most rookies are more likely to see a decline from their historic numbers.
- Solely FBS knowledge is taken into account for faculty gamers and comparisons.
- Kneel-downs are faraway from speeding knowledge to supply cleaner quarterback speeding charge statistics.
- The desk colours on this article vary from blue (indicating good/excessive) to purple (indicating unhealthy/low).
- All percentiles and colour codings evaluate the given participant to others with a excessive pattern of alternatives. Usually, the cutoff is one-third of the doable alternatives within the pattern. If a participant doesn’t meet the brink, they’re nonetheless included within the comparability, although their outcomes could seem higher or worse than anticipated because of the smaller, much less predictive pattern measurement.
- Info on utilization classifications and their significance may be discovered right here for operating backs, broad receivers and tight ends.
