Should I Start Christian McCaffrey?

Saturday, August 15, 5:22 PM

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (undisclosed) missed Saturday's practice due to "tightness," according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. So far, we don't have much info on McCaffrey's injury. We know that it sidelined him for several practices and the 49ers' preseason opener, but we can't read too much into those absences since the 49ers have been lightening many of their starters' workloads anyway. With that being said, fantasy managers would be justified if they take the injury into consideration when drafting this year. In the event that he does have a clean bill of health, though, McCaffrey is worth drafting as an early-to-mid first-round pick. He was the overall RB1 in PPR leagues with 2,126 scrimmage yards and 17 touchdowns last year, and he ranks as the overall RB3 in RotoBaller's latest 2026 fantasy football draft rankings.