Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or Drake Maye

Tuesday, July 22, 5:34 PM

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (knee) and offensive tackle Trent Williams (ankle) are both "here and healthy" at training camp, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan. Both players are ready to go, but their workloads will be managed throughout camp. McCaffrey was an absolute bust for fantasy managers in 2024, as he ended up missing 13 games, first due to Achilles tendinitis in both his legs, and then due to a PCL sprain in his right knee. The 29-year-old also took part in offseason activities and looked healthy then, so he shouldn't be limited in any way once the 2025 regular season begins. While CMC still has game-changing abilities and will be heavily featured in San Fran's offense, he has slipped to RB5 in RotoBaller's rankings because of his penchant for injury. McCaffrey is about as risk/reward as they come.

Sunday, July 27, 11:22 AM

New England Patriots second-year quarterback Drake Maye notably shared that one of his top goals in 2025 is to potentially not run as much as he did in his rookie season, when he rushed for 421 yards on 54 carries for 7.8 yards per tote, according to ESPN's Mike Reiss. "Remaining a passer longer when I scramble, I think that's big," Maye said. "I feel like I had times last year where I had some guys deep that I may have missed them or took off running instead." It's not exactly what fantasy managers want to hear. The 22-year-old didn't have a lot to work with in the passing game in his first year in the NFL. The Patriots have given him more weapons this year, mainly with WR1 Stefon Diggs, which could make up for fewer runs from the second-year signal-caller. Fantasy managers should target Maye as a midrange QB2 this year.