Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or Cedric Tillman

Saturday, December 20, 6:03 AM

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey will put a four-game touchdown streak on the line in Week 16 against the Colts. Last week, Indianapolis held Seahawks running backs Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet out of the end zone, but had given up at least one rushing touchdown to a running back in each of their six previous games. McCaffrey appears to be clear of the back injury that made him a surprising late addition to the 49ers' injury report last week, and should see plenty of work on Monday night. If Ricky Pearsall (knee/ankle) is unable to play, then CMC would likely reemerge as a candidate to lead the team in targets, as he has done six times already in 2025. Fantasy football managers should watch for the 49ers' final injury report, but assuming McCaffrey is fully healthy, he has the potential for a top-3 finish at his position.

Saturday, December 20, 6:49 AM

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Cedric Tillman surprised fantasy managers by quickly clearing the league's concussion protocol before the team's Week 15 loss against the Chicago Bears. However, Tillman only saw six snaps, ran just one route, and did not see a target in the Windy City, again surprising fantasy managers, but in a different way. The third-year wideout was not listed on the injury report heading into Week 16 at home against the Buffalo Bills, but Tillman is on the fringe of fantasy relevance. Tillman has failed to score double-digit PPR points or see more than four targets since Week 2, despite having a 64% snap share and 68% route participation rate. Even though the anticipated game script against the pass-funnel Bills in Week 16 is likely to benefit Tillman. Still, he is difficult to trust in the fantasy playoffs and is mainly a flyer at best in deep leagues.