Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or Jonathan Taylor


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
19.7 63.9 0.5 4.5 40.5 0.3

Christian McCaffrey News

Christian McCaffrey Not Practicing for Second Straight Day

Tuesday, August 11, 10:01 AM

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (undisclosed) is not practicing at training camp for the second straight day on Tuesday, according to Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group. McCaffrey is being held out so far this week with undisclosed "tightness," but offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak has downplayed CMC's situation and said the team is "just managing" the All-Pro RB. The 49ers are already pretty banged up early in training camp, and as a result, they are resting some of their key veterans like McCaffrey. In addition to McCaffrey, RBs Kaelon Black (groin), Jordan James (ribs), and Isaac Guerendo (pectoral) are injured, so the Niners can't afford to lose their most valuable offensive weapon in McCaffrey before the season even starts. CMC managed to stay completely healthy in 2025 and finished as the RB1 in half-PPR scoring with 1,202 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns while adding 924 receiving yards and seven touchdowns as a receiver in 17 games. McCaffrey has elite upside at his position but also high-end bust potential due to his lengthy injury history. RotoBaller has him ranked as the RB3 for 2026, behind only Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
19.0 90.2 0.8 2.8 20.6 0.1

Jonathan Taylor News

Jonathan Taylor Signs Two-Year Extension with Colts

Thursday, August 6, 5:12 AM

All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor and the Indianapolis Colts have agreed to a two-year extension that will pay the three-time Pro Bowler up to $47 million and keep him on the team through the 2028 season. The deal includes $39 million in guarantees and makes Taylor the second-highest-paid running back in the league after the Falcons' Bijan Robinson signed a historic deal on Tuesday. Taylor has dealt with injuries for much of his career, playing in 17 games only once over the past four seasons, but when healthy and right, he is one of the most impactful offensive players in the league. He was the fantasy RB1 through the first 13 weeks of 2025 before Daniel Jones' season-ending Achilles injury derailed the offense as a whole. Jones has made remarkable progress and is expected to be the team's Week 1 starter, and should the injury limit his mobility, Taylor could benefit from an increase in checkdowns, only adding to his value and putting him among a handful of backs with overall RB1 upside for 2026.


Christian McCaffrey vs. Jonathan Taylor

Still trying to decide between McCaffrey and Taylor? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Christian McCaffrey is projected to score 19.7 points this week while Jonathan Taylor is projected to score 19.0 points.