Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or TreVeyon Henderson

Sunday, September 7, 10:07 AM

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (calf) did not practice on Friday, but he was a "big participant in the walkthrough on Saturday," according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. As a result, the star running back is trending toward playing. Fantasy managers are holding their breath and hoping that McCaffrey avoids a repeat of the 2024 season when he was expected to be healthy for Week 1 but then ultimately missed the first nine games. We'll get confirmation on his status around 2:35 p.m. ET when the 49ers post their list of inactive players. If McCaffrey does suit up against the Seahawks, he'll rank as a mid-range RB1 in fantasy football.

Monday, September 1, 9:59 PM

New England Patriots rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson "moves like a much more experienced veteran, especially in pass protection," according to Jourdan Rodrigue. It's worth noting that this is Rodrigue's opinion, but she also quotes an unnamed coach who said Henderson has the makings of "a star." Henderson's explosiveness and big-play ability are easy to project based on his work in both college and the preseason. If he is further along than the typical rookie running back in the finer points of the position, as Rodrigue suggests, Henderson could be ready to take over the New England backfield sooner rather than later. He enters the year projected to split playing time with veteran running back Rhamondre Stevenson, but Henderson is unquestionably the higher-upside option. Henderson projects as a priority fantasy RB2 with major upside for 2025.