Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or Rico Dowdle

Sunday, September 14, 8:39 PM

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey rushed for 55 yards on 13 carries during Sunday's Week 2 victory over the New Orleans Saints. He also caught six of seven targets for an additional 53 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. Although the veteran playmaker didn't quite eclipse the 100-yard mark, he made up for it by scoring his first touchdown of the 2025 campaign. He also served as a very valuable and dependable pass-catching option for quarterback Mac Jones amidst the injury to Brock Purdy (shoulder). McCaffrey has wasted no time making a big impact in fantasy football, scoring at least 22.7 points (PPR) in each of his first two games this year. There's minimal competition for the 29-year-old in San Francisco, keeping him in the mid-range RB1 tier ahead of Week 3 versus the Arizona Cardinals.

Saturday, August 9, 4:08 PM

Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle showed a glimpse of his potential as a pass-catching threat in the team's preseason debut against the Cleveland Browns, recording one reception for 20 yards to go along with two rushes for seven yards. The 27-year-old running back is entering his sixth season in the NFL after spending his entire career with the Dallas Cowboys, which was riddled with injuries. Dowdle is clearly behind Chuba Hubbard on the depth chart, but could carve out a role in the Panthers' receiving or two-minute offense in 2025. Coming off an underwhelming 2024 season in Dallas, where high hopes for the lead back role didn't materialize (235-1,079-2 on the ground, 39-249-3 in the air), a move to a new location and a backup role could take some pressure off Dowdle and allow him to grow into his potential. Rotoballer currently projects him as RB55, but Dowdle could be a sneaky stash if anything happens to Hubbard throughout the season.