Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or James Cook

Sunday, April 19, 5:43 AM

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey is coming off the third RB1 fantasy finish of his career despite putting up some of his lowest efficiency numbers since entering the league. His 413 touches in 2025 marked a career-high, while his 5.1 yards per touch were the lowest since 2020, a season in which he only played three games. This was McCaffrey's third time finishing a season with more than 330 total touches, all three times culminating in an All-Pro selection, but in both previous instances, he missed significant time the following season. Only twice in four opportunities has he played more than four games following a 200+ touch campaign. While that sort of fragility might frighten some fantasy managers, the ceiling that he represents when given a full workload is unattainable by any other player in the league. 58 times in his career, McCaffrey has touched the ball at least 20 times in a game. Only once under such circumstances did he fail to record at least 100 yards or a touchdown. Unfortunately, that occurred in 2025, along with several other instances where he barely cleared the mark, further signaling a decline in efficiency. About to turn 30 years old, McCaffrey appears to have hit a crossroads where his continued fantasy greatness is reliant on a one-of-one workload, while that same workload could be his ultimate undoing were he to sustain another serious injury. He currently ranks as RotoBaller's dynasty RB10, but contending managers would be advised to ride him until the wheels fall off.