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San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey has generated plenty of buzz in fantasy football lately.
The consensus RB1 in this year's fantasy drafts, McCaffrey was a surprising scratch in Week 1 due to an injury, leaving many managers scrambling to find a replacement on Monday night.
Is Christian McCaffrey healthy? Will Christian McCaffrey play in Week 2 against the Vikings? What is Christian McCaffrey's fantasy football outlook? We answer these questions and shed some light on his status heading into the 49ers' second game of the year.
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Will Christian McCaffrey Play In Week 2?
UPDATE: McCaffrey (Achilles/calf) has been placed on Injured Reserve. He will miss at least the next four games.
McCaffrey (calf) has been diagnosed with Achilles tendonitis, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan. The star running back's status reportedly fluctuated over the weekend, and by the time kickoff rolled around on Monday, McCaffrey wasn't feeling well enough to play.
Shanahan explained that the injury "comes and goes in severity," which means a good day of practice doesn't necessarily mean he's in the clear.
McCaffrey likely needs several consecutive days of full practice without any pain or symptoms in order to be considered a full go. Until then, he'll continue to have limitations and will likely be listed as "questionable" heading into the 49ers' games.
That remains the case for Week 2 against the 49ers. While McCaffrey still has several days to heal, Shanahan said that he remains day-to-day. As of now, there's a real chance he could miss a second consecutive game.
#49ers RB Christian McCaffrey will again be day to day this week with his calf/Achilles issue, per Kyle Shanahan.
Shanahan noted that Achilles tendonitis has been primary issue with McCaffrey and it comes and goes in severity.
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) September 10, 2024
Christian McCaffrey Week 2 Fantasy Football Outlook
Managers will have to monitor McCaffrey's status closely. Since any decision on McCaffrey's availability likely won't be made until he tests his injury pregame, managers will want to check back when the 49ers release their inactives list 90 minutes before kickoff.
This week, the 49ers play the Vikings at 1 p.m. EST on Sunday. Therefore, we'll have confirmation on McCaffrey's availability by 11:30 a.m. that morning.
This is good news for fantasy managers who felt burned by last week's late scratch on Monday night. This week, managers can at least have most of their bench running backs available to be inserted into their lineup if McCaffrey doesn't play.
If McCaffrey suits up, he should be near 100 percent, ranking as a high-end RB1 in all fantasy leagues. If he can't go, we'd see another week of Jordan Mason leading the backfield. That approach worked well for the 49ers and fantasy managers on Monday night as Mason broke free for 152 scrimmage yards and one touchdown. If McCaffrey is inactive, Mason would be a low-end RB1 against the Vikings.
Managers don't need to panic and make any lineup decisions now; that can wait until Sunday morning. At the very least, though, they should make contingency plans in case the consensus redraft 1.01 can't suit up.
According to @AdamSchefter, there’s a good chance RB Christian McCaffrey DOES NOT play against the #Vikings on Sunday due to his injury 👀
pic.twitter.com/ewEb2UJ9jy— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) September 10, 2024
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