Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or Trevor Lawrence

Monday, August 18, 6:14 PM

The Athletic's Matt Barrows writes that it makes sense for the San Francisco 49ers to lean on running back Christian McCaffrey and tight end George Kittle in the passing game early this season. Barrows also added that if McCaffrey is "not back to his 2023 form, he's pretty close to it." McCaffrey helped many fantasy managers win championships in 2023, when he ran for a career-high and league-high 1,459 yards and 14 touchdowns on 272 carries while also catching 67 passes for 564 yards and another seven scores in 16 regular-season starts. Unfortunately, CMC got a late start to his 2024 season due to Achilles tendinitis and also injured his knee late in the year. He ultimately played only four games and didn't look like his All-Pro self. McCaffrey is no longer in play for No. 1 overall in fantasy drafts, and although he's ranked fifth among RBs at RotoBaller, he's the biggest risk/reward RB.

Saturday, August 16, 11:36 AM

The Jacksonville Jaguars will play their starters on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, head coach Liam Coen announced. It's unclear how much playing time quarterback Trevor Lawrence & Co. will receive. Lawrence completed 6-of-7 passes for 43 yards in a preseason-opening loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last week. Running backs Tank Bigsby and Bhayshul Tuten tied for the team lead in carries (six) and yards (24) during the opener. They've been in a battle for touches in training camp with Travis Etienne Jr., who's listed as a co-starter with Bigsby on the team's unofficial depth chart. Meanwhile, at wide receiver, two-way star rookie Travis Hunter (upper body) may sit out with an upper-body injury. Coen hasn't said whether the Heisman Trophy winner and second overall pick will play.