Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or Josh Downs

Tuesday, December 23, 2:11 PM

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey had another explosive performance in Week 16. McCaffrey ran for 117 yards on 21 carries and caught six of his eight targets for 29 yards and two touchdowns in the 49ers' 48-27 win over the Colts on Monday night. It was one of McCaffrey's better running performances of the season, having averaged 3.6 yards per carry coming into the game. McCaffrey's recent downward trend in receiving yards continued, though he was back to being one of the team's leaders in targets, due in part to Ricky Pearsall's (knee, ankle) absence. McCaffrey is now 151 yards away from achieving 1,000 yards in the rushing and receiving categories for the second time in his career. His next opportunity to add to his total will be against the Bears, who have allowed their opponents 348.1 offensive yards per game.

Sunday, December 21, 1:00 AM

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs presents as a low-floor fantasy dart throw for his home outing with the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football. Downs hauled in 3-of-5 passes for 13 yards in last weekend's 18-16 loss to the Seahawks, accounting for Philip Rivers' first touchdown pass since Week 17 of the 2020 season. With Rivers under center, Indy went with a short, quick pass attack to cater to the veteran's current capabilities. While it was effective on the field, an equal administering of pass attempts will hurt all involved on the Indianapolis side of the ball. As it stands, Downs is a downright chore to cover in that area of the field, potentially giving him a leg up on teammates Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce in the Colts' attack. Even if that's the case, though, the third-year pro's standing as the third option regarding snap share at the position significantly limits his ceiling. Downs may still hold some modest value in DFS formats, but is tough to trust as RotoBaller's PPR WR62 for Week 16.