Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or Ashton Jeanty

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Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
19.4 62.1 0.5 4.8 36.3 0.3

Christian McCaffrey News

Christian McCaffrey's Absence Part of the Plan

Sunday, August 23, 5:15 PM

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (undisclosed) said his absence in training camp was always part of the plan to have him ready for Week 1 of the 2026 regular season, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN. "Obviously when you don't practice, the way the media works now it's a firestorm," McCaffrey said. "But this was kind of part of the plan from the jump was to ramp up pretty big, get nine, 10 practices in, kind of come back down and then ramp back up so we're fresh for the duration... And again, I feel great. I feel fresh, and it's good to be back out there." The Niners have been holding out their star RB late with undisclosed tightness, but he returned to practice on Sunday and even jumped into team drills. San Francisco is taking every precaution to keep the oft-injured four-time Pro Bowler as fresh as possible going into Week 1 after he had 1,202 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns on a career-high 311 carries in 2025 in 17 regular-season games, adding 102 catches for 924 yards and another seven scores. CMC remains one of the most talented dual-threat backs in the league, but his lengthy injury history makes him high-risk, high-reward as RotoBaller's No. 3 overall RB.

BENCH

Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
16.8 69.3 0.5 3.4 22.3 0.2

Ashton Jeanty News

Klint Kubiak Says Ashton Jeanty is "on the Mend"

Tuesday, August 25, 12:05 PM

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak said on Tuesday that he is "not going to get into injuries," but he also said that running back Ashton Jeanty (ankle) is "on the mend," according to Vincent Bonsignore of The California Post. Jeanty caused a stir among the fantasy football community when he injured his right ankle in training camp practice on Sunday and could not put any weight on his leg. Fortunately, the Raiders have reported that the 22-year-old second-year back is dealing with more of a low-ankle sprain than a high-ankle sprain, and they are optimistic that he will be able to suit up for Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins in early September. Jeanty will not be playing in Thursday's preseason finale against the San Francisco 49ers, and we will be keeping a close eye on his status as Week 1 approaches. There is still a chance that he might be questionable to play against the Dolphins to kick off the season or be limited if he is active, but we should have a better idea on that in the coming weeks. In a worst-case scenario in which Jeanty does not play in Week 1, rookie Mike Washington Jr. could see most of the backfield touches for the Raiders. Despite Jeanty's ankle injury, the Boise State product should remain a firm RB2 target in upcoming fantasy football drafts.

Christian McCaffrey vs. Ashton Jeanty

Still trying to decide between McCaffrey and Jeanty? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Christian McCaffrey is projected to score 19.4 points this week while Ashton Jeanty is projected to score 16.8 points.