Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or Rhamondre Stevenson

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.

Thursday, June 20, 4:10 PM

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson agreed to a four-year, $36 million contract extension on Thursday, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport. The deal includes $17 million guaranteed. While the team can get out of the deal early and less than half of it is guaranteed, this is still a sign that the organization views him as the clear leadback. The 26-year-old enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2022, racking up over 1,400 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns in 17 games. He was limited to just 12 games and 857 yards in 2023, but he should be healthy heading into his fourth pro season. While Antonio Gibson might get work behind him in the receiving game, both running backs could see plenty of targets given the weak group of pass-catchers Drake Maye and Jacoby Brissett have to work with. Stevenson is likely an underpriced RB2 for 2024.