Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or A.J. Dillon

Thursday, February 27, 6:29 PM

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said on Wednesday at the NFL Combine that running back Christian McCaffrey (knee) is "doing great" and that he thinks the star RB will be able to participate in "at least parts" of the offseason program. McCaffrey was a bust at the top of fantasy drafts last fall, as he played in just four games in 2024. He missed the first two months with bilateral Achilles tendinitis and then suffered a season-ending PCL injury on Dec. 1 in the loss to the Buffalo Bills. The 28-year-old's fantasy stock will take a hit in 2025 because of his injury-plagued season, but it's hard to forget that he has rushed for 2,407 yards and 20 rushing touchdowns while catching 134 passes for 1,174 yards and 11 receiving touchdowns in 31 games since he joined San Fran midway through the 2022 season. If healthy, CMC can be a league-winner, but the injury risk is very high.

Wednesday, March 12, 7:24 PM

The Philadelphia Eagles have reached an agreement with free-agent running back AJ Dillon (neck) on Wednesday. It will be a one-year deal where Dillon will serve as the primary backup to Saquon Barkley in Philly. The 26-year-old is reportedly fully healthy after missing all of last season due to a neck injury. Before that, Dillon was the primary backup to Aaron Jones in Green Bay for four seasons. Dillon has rushed for nearly 2,500 yards during his career with 16 touchdowns on the ground. His fantasy outlook doesn't look great behind Barkley, but injuries do happen. Dillon is a quality backup and someone that can be counted on if Barkley is forced to miss time.