Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or James Cook

Monday, March 30, 8:12 AM

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan hinted that the team might try to give star running back Christian McCaffrey more breathers in 2026 to keep him healthy and fresh, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN. McCaffrey was the overall RB1 in fantasy football scoring in 2025 and is coming off a career-high 413 touches. The four-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro will turn 30 this summer, and although CMC is a game-changer when he's on the field, the Niners are being mindful about his workload, especially when considering his lengthy injury history in his nine years in the NFL. "I know that I don't want Christian to have to take all of that. It was amazing that he did and was able to do that. The reason it's so hard to get Christian out is because of how much he affects everything in the pass game, even when he's not getting the ball... But in order for us to be the running team we want to be, in order to have Christian be as good as he can be throughout the whole year, we've got to get someone to help him," Shanahan said. Even with a potential reduction in touches in 2026, McCaffrey will be a no-doubt RB1 target in the first round of fantasy drafts this fall.