Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or Bijan Robinson

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, 10:35 AM

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson totaled up 24 touches in Sunday's 34-14 loss to the Seahawks, with 21 rushes for 103 yards and a score while adding three catches for 40 yards. The number of rush attempts were a season high and he's now caught at least three passes in six of seven games for Atlanta. The 22-year-old flashed his big play ability with a 26-yard rush and a 26-yard catch-and-run, finishing the week within the top 12 at the position in fantasy. Fantasy managers will appreciate the added workload, but we'll see if it sticks as his previous high in rush attempts this season was just 18. On tap in Week 8 are the Buccaneers who the Falcons have faced once already and it ended up being a pass-heavy game script, with Robinson getting just 12 attempts for 61 yards and three catches for 16.