Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or Saquon Barkley

Tuesday, December 3, 6:08 PM

The San Francisco 49ers officially placed running back Christian McCaffrey (knee) on Injured Reserve on Tuesday, which means he'll be forced to miss at least the next four games. However, McCaffrey suffered a PCL sprain in his right knee in the Sunday night loss to the Buffalo Bills and is expected to need at least six weeks of recovery time. It means that unless the 49ers pick things up and make a run to the postseason, CMC's injury-plagued 2024 campaign will come to an end. Jordan Mason (ankle) is also on IR with a high-ankle sprain, which will force rookie Isaac Guerendo into the team's lead-back role for at least the next four weeks. With CMC officially on IR, fantasy managers can drop him in redraft leagues. The 28-year-old was a huge bust for fantasy managers this year. He didn't make his season debut until Week 10 due to bilateral Achilles tendonitis and ended up playing in just four games in 2024.

Sunday, December 8, 5:47 PM

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley finished Sunday's win over the Panthers by running for 124 yards off 20 carries. The former Giant had five touchdowns in his previous three appearances entering Week 14. Although he couldn't find the end zone in this one, his performance was still good enough to set a new Eagles' single-season rushing record. Barkley is in the mix to win this season's Most Valuable Player award. But there is still more business left on the horizon, with Philadelphia hosting Pittsburgh in Week 15. Of course, Barkley is a must-start, although he'll face a challenging matchup versus a potent Steelers defense.