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.

Friday, December 20, 11:05 PM

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley aims to rebound in Week 16 against the Washington Commanders after being held to just 65 rushing yards in last week's 27-13 win over the Steelers. The game marked Barkley's second-lowest rushing total of the season, snapping his streak of four consecutive 100-yard performances. Barkley also missed part of the second quarter with an undisclosed injury but returned to and finished the game. Washington's run defense presents an opportunity for Barkley to get back on track. The Commanders rank 25th in the league in rushing yards allowed per game (132.1) and have surrendered 13 rushing touchdowns this season. Barkley's ability to exploit favorable matchups makes him a strong RB1 candidate for fantasy managers looking ahead to this divisional showdown.