Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or Miles Sanders

Saturday, June 29, 1:07 PM

No NFL running back played a higher percentage of his team's offensive snaps last year than San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey. Elijah Mitchell, their top backup, missed six games in another injury-riddled season, and McCaffrey was simply too good to take off the field. CMC led the league with 1,459 rushing yards -- 292 more than the next best RB. His 21 TDs tied for the league lead and he also added 564 receiving yards, which ranked fourth on the 49ers. His 339 total touches were the second-most of his career. McCaffrey's efforts earned him Offensive Player of the Year honors and a two-year extension. The Niners would love a repeat performance in 2024, but perhaps with less wear and tear. A healthy Mitchell would help them accomplish that. "We have to protect Christian from himself. He doesn't like to ever come out no matter what the situation is and I do think that's something we could protect him with more," head coach Kyle Shanahan said.

Tuesday, June 4, 3:38 PM

Carolina Panthers running back Miles Sanders (heel) did not practice on Tuesday due to a heel injury. The 27-year-old had a flare-up and is being held out as a precaution, according to head coach Dave Canales. While he's expected to be fine, missing practice time is not ideal after the team selected Jonathon Brooks (knee) in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Sanders is coming off his worst season as a pro. He accounted for just 432 rushing yards and one touchdown while averaging an abysmal 3.3 yards per carry. Chuba Hubbard outperformed him last year, and Brooks is likely to be heavily involved in the Carolina rushing attack when he's fully healthy. It would be a surprise if Sanders becomes anything close to a weekly contributor to fantasy squads this season.