Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or Rico Dowdle

Friday, June 13, 12:53 PM

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (knee) was one of the few high-profile veterans who took part in 11-on-11 situations during offseason workouts in recent weeks, according to The Athletic's Matt Barrows. McCaffrey wanted to test himself after last year's injury-plagued season in which he dealt with Achilles and knee injuries that limited him to just four games played. "I wanted to put myself in a position where I didn't miss a day of OTAs and I could practice and play football again and be healthy again and not miss a day. And I did that. And now we can kind of kick back up to training again," McCaffrey said. After being the biggest fantasy bust in 2024, CMC has dropped to the RB6 in RotoBaller's 2025 fantasy rankings at the position. He's once again a risk/reward pick, having played fewer than eight games in three of the last five seasons.

Wednesday, March 12, 7:36 PM

The Carolina Panthers have signed free-agent running back Rico Dowdle on Wednesday. The two sides have agreed on a one-year, $6.25 million deal for the upcoming season. On paper, Dowdle is a good fit with the Panthers who certainly need depth behind Chuba Hubbard. Last season, Dowdle rushed for over 1,000 yards across 15 games with the Dallas Cowboys. It's also worth noting that Dowdle hauled in 39 receptions for 249 yards and three touchdowns through the air. This is a low-risk move that should help the Panthers while former second-round pick Jonathon Brooks (knee) recovers from injury.