Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or Najee Harris

Thursday, February 5, 5:06 PM

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey was named the 2025 Comeback Player of the Year on Thursday night, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic. McCaffrey was limited to only four games in 2024 due to Achilles and knee issues, but he played in all 17 regular-season games in 2025 and led the 49ers in both rushing (1,202) and receiving yards (924). The four-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro handled a career-high 311 carries and scored 10 rushing touchdowns while also catching 102 passes on 129 targets with an additional seven trips to the end zone as a receiver. The Offensive Player of the Year in 2023 was the RB1 in half-PPR fantasy scoring this year after he slipped to the late first round of many drafts following his injury-plagued 2024 campaign. CMC is entering his age-30 campaign and has a lengthy injury history, but it's simply too hard to ignore his game-changing dual-threat abilities out of the backfield as the engine of San Fran's offense.

Monday, February 16, 11:51 AM

Los Angeles Chargers running back Najee Harris (Achilles) missed most of the 2025 season due to a torn Achilles, and he's scheduled to hit free agency for the second offseason in a row. Harris parlayed a solid four-year stint with the Steelers into a one-year deal with the Chargers last offseason, but he was held to just 86 scrimmage yards across three games before suffering his season-ending injury. It was a big change from his time in Pittsburgh, where he had never missed a game through four seasons. He played well there, ranking as a top-24 fantasy running back every season. He peaked as a rookie in 2021 when he was the overall RB3 in PPR formats. Given his injury recovery, Harris likely won't sign a contract that would allow him to be a lead-back somewhere. In all likelihood, he'll offer a solid veteran presence while splitting snaps with a younger, less-established running back. His days of being a must-start fantasy running back are over, but he can still be a strong RB3/flex depending on the situation. He's worth holding in most dynasty leagues.