Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or Jonathon Brooks

Monday, October 21, 1:25 PM

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) won't be available for the Week 8 game on Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys, and then the team is on bye in Week 9. McCaffrey has been ramping up for an early-November return, so Week 10 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Nov. 10 could be the target date he's shooting for to make his 2024 debut. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports CMC hasn't had any setbacks as he ramps up. San Fran could really use McCaffrey back with receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee) going down with a potential season-ending torn ACL in the Week 7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Fantasy managers that have been stashing McCaffrey all year could have him back just in time to make a run for a fantasy championship, although it remains to be seen how effective he'll be and how much of a workload he'll have upon his return.

Friday, October 18, 1:10 PM

Carolina Panthers rookie running back Jonathon Brooks (knee) was limited in Friday's practice but has been ruled out and won't make his NFL debut this weekend versus the Washington Commanders. Brooks made his return to practice for the first time this year on Wednesday while recovering from a torn ACL that he suffered last November while playing in college at Texas, so the 21-year-old wasn't realistically expected to play in Week 7. However, the 46th overall pick in this year's draft (the first RB off the board), could become a big part of Carolina's backfield alongside Chuba Hubbard later this year once he gets up to speed. Brooks will need to make more progress in practice next week to have a shot to make his debut for the Panthers in Week 8 against the Denver Broncos. He's worth stashing in all fantasy leagues.