Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or Alexander Mattison

Monday, October 21, 1:25 PM

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) won't be available for the Week 8 game on Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys, and then the team is on bye in Week 9. McCaffrey has been ramping up for an early-November return, so Week 10 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Nov. 10 could be the target date he's shooting for to make his 2024 debut. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports CMC hasn't had any setbacks as he ramps up. San Fran could really use McCaffrey back with receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee) going down with a potential season-ending torn ACL in the Week 7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Fantasy managers that have been stashing McCaffrey all year could have him back just in time to make a run for a fantasy championship, although it remains to be seen how effective he'll be and how much of a workload he'll have upon his return.

Monday, October 21, 3:26 PM

Las Vegas Raiders running back Alexander Mattison was much more efficient than usual in Week 7 in the 15-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Mattison rushed 23 times for 92 yards and caught all three of his targets for 31 yards, giving him 15.3 PPR fantasy points on the day. He took the vast majority of the RB workload. The sixth-year pro was much more involved in the offense than fellow RB Zamir White (groin) who was in his first game back from injury. It appears that the former Minnesota Viking could dominate RB touches in the future, but he also averaged under three yards per carry in four games this season. The Rams defense is also very weak, so the matchup was soft. The Raiders will face the Kansas City Chiefs and their formidable run defense in Week 8. Mattison is a risky FLEX option in deeper leagues. Las Vegas' depleted offense could have difficulty doing much of anything.