Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or Kareem Hunt

Thursday, January 1, 6:31 PM

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (back) was removed from the Week 18 injury report on Thursday and will play on Saturday night against the division-rival Seattle Seahawks, according to Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area. McCaffrey has dealt with a bit of back stiffness in the final month of the regular season, but it hasn't been a serious issue, and he'll be fine this weekend as the Niners look to secure the No. 1 seed, a first-round bye, and home-field advantage throughout the postseason. The 29-year-old is coming off a second straight 100-yard rushing game in the Week 17 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday night, in which he had 23 carries for a season-high 140 yards and one touchdown on the ground. CMC added 41 receiving yards on four catches. He remains the do-it-all focal point of San Fran's offense and is a must-start, high-end RB1 in all fantasy leagues in Week 18.

Friday, January 2, 5:56 PM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt (illness) was under the weather this week and missed the first two practices. He returned to a full session on Friday, though, and has been removed from the Week 18 injury report. The Chiefs could opt to rest Isiah Pacheco in the regular-season finale against the division-rival Las Vegas Raiders, which would put Hunt in line for lead-back duties to close things out. Hunt should only realistically be considered for starting fantasy lineups this weekend if Pacheco is ruled out on Sunday. The 30-year-old has taken on more of a secondary role in the Chiefs' backfield of late, having not seen double-digit carries in any of the last three games. He was the team's preferred option in the backfield for most of the season, though. Hunt has 158 carries for 597 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in 16 games, adding 15 receptions for 122 more yards and a TD through the air.