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San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (Achilles, Achilles) (yes, both his Achilles tendons) has been the worst possible fantasy football draft pick of the year. Generally, people who draft fantasy players in the first round expect them to play in games and score points at the very least. This year's consensus No. 1 fantasy RB has not done that.
The NFL world was fed dishonesty about his situation, and many thought he would play in Week 1. Five weeks have passed, and now he's on injured reserve with no definite return date. There has been speculation as well as concepts of plans to bring him back, but nothing has materialized. It's reasonable to think nothing we've been told is true.
So will Christian McCaffrey even play this season?
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Christian McCaffrey Injury Update
There's growing concern about his injuries and whether he will play at all in 2024. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan would certainly like to rush him back to action and give him unsustainable workloads (like he did in 2023), but that's just not possible right now.
𝗗𝗼’𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁𝘀 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟱
(weekly thread): ⤵️𝗗𝗼 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗠𝗰𝗖𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗿𝗲𝘆
Asked a well respected MD in the Bay Area about McCaffrey’s situation on Tuesday night…
“I am greatly concerned about Christian’s long-term availability. We are… pic.twitter.com/YKCeOZn5LW
— Zack (@ZackDPT) October 4, 2024
He has Achilles tendonitis in both of his legs. This is an overuse injury that heals with long periods of rest. Seasons of 400+ touches in the NFL do massive damage to the human body, no matter who's carrying the rock. Shanahan giving CMC such a huge workload when it wasn't necessary was terrible for his long-term health.
Achilles tendonitis does not spread from one leg to the other. That's simply not possible. The medical community is united in saying this. His injury was originally reported as a calf strain, then tendonitis in one Achilles tendon, then another. That's nonsense. It's a strange situation, and the whole truth may never see the light of day.
Will Christian McCaffrey Play Again In 2024?
We haven't been updated with anything concrete about the situation. It's infuriating for fantasy managers, especially those who don't own backup RB Jordan Mason (shoulder) (and now possible third-stringer Isaac Guerendo if Mason can't play next week). There's a scenario where he's designated to return from IR and still doesn't play.
The Christian McCaffrey injury has obviously always been a big deal, but it had kind of been a background thing as the offense played pretty well without him over the first four weeks.
It's not a background thing anymore.https://t.co/iOiUEgPELm
— Nicholas McGee (@nicholasmcgee24) October 7, 2024
There is urgency for the team's sake for him to return, but it can't force him to be healthy as much as it'd like to be able to. Shanahan's penchant for using McCaffrey constantly on third-and-shorts and in garbage time could lead to reaggravation easily.
Perhaps the head coach will see the light and adjust his usage, and the emergence of Mason should help. Even Guerendo is capable of making big plays. He has ridiculous speed.
ISAAC GUERENDO. 76-YARD RUN TO START THE DRIVE.#SFvsSEA on Prime Video
Also streaming on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/Pt3BWP6JEF— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2024
Shanahan's scheme is fantasy gold for running backs, but CMC changes the offense in a way that makes it monstrously difficult for defenses to adjust to. The other backs may have to remain contributors even if he returns, though, to give him a break.
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