It has been a dream season for Christian McCaffrey. Let’s hope his latest injury does not turn the end of it into a nightmare.
McCaffrey has been the best player in fantasy football this season. He will win the NFL rushing title, he is tied for a league-best 21 touchdowns, and has added 67 receptions for 564 yards, his best pass-catching numbers since 2019. If you had McCaffrey rostered on your fantasy squad this season, chances are you made some money and qualified for your league’s postseason.
McCaffrey exited early from San Francisco’s Week 17 win, however, with what was described as a mild calf strain. So what’s the status for McCaffrey heading into San Francisco’s season-ending game against the division rival Los Angeles Rams? Here is the latest!
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Is Christian McCaffrey Injured or Healthy?
McCaffrey has been ruled out of San Francisco’s Week 18 game with his calf strain. There is no reason to risk him making the injury worse in what is a meaningless game for the 49ers. They have clinched the NFC West division and the top seed in the NFC playoffs, so they will be playing out the string and hoping none of their other injury-prone superstars get hurt.
McCaffrey will now have a couple weeks of rest heading into San Fran’s Divisional Round playoff contest thanks to having Week 18 off and the Niners having a bye during the opening round of the postseason. Since his injury seems to be on the minor side, the hope is he will be raring to run and catch when he returns for the 49ers first playoff contest.
For those of you looking for a low-cost running back for a DFS contest or for your league if Week 18 counts for anything, feel free to pick up McCaffrey understudy Elijah Mitchell or third-string back Jordan Mason. Both should get plenty of play this weekend. Mitchell is also known for getting banged-up more often than not, so Mason might be the better DFS play this weekend.
If you are a fan of playoff fantasy leagues, McCaffrey should be 100 percent and the No. 1 player drafted in playoff formats. The 49ers are a favorite to make it to the Super Bowl, so he should play in multiple games. He should also get the bulk of the carries and touches as the 49ers offense revolves around him as long as he is healthy and behind Brock Purdy in the backfield.
The problem with McCaffrey is that he has a history of leg injuries wrecking his seasons. He has reinjured himself on other occasions when he has battled other “minor” leg issues. Keep a close eye and ear on his status and recovery throughout the next couple weeks before your playoff league draft or when you fill out a playoff DFS lineup. Let’s keep our fingers crossed the top tailback in football is injury-free and racks up receptions, yards and touchdowns during the postseason.
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