Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or Brian Robinson Jr.

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.

Sunday, October 20, 7:25 PM

Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. had a productive day in his return as he tallied 71 yards on the ground off 12 attempts and found the end zone for the sixth time this season. He did not see a target in the passing game. The Commanders got ahead of Carolina quite early and gave their rusher a limited workload in the second half as the game was out of hand. However, the 25-year-old looked healthy after his Week 6 absence due to a knee injury as he reclaimed his typical short-yardage role. Robinson should be locked into all lineups as an RB2 next weekend against the Chicago Bears.