Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or Trey Benson

Monday, September 7, 8:57 PM

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (undisclosed) is in full uniform for the team's practice in Melbourne, Australia, on Tuesday, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN. The team's final injury report for the day will tell us more about CMC's status for the Week 1 showdown on Thursday against the division-rival Los Angeles Rams, but it looks like he is heading in the right direction to be active. The Niners kept McCaffrey in bubble wrap during the preseason, and he has been sitting out of practices for several weeks due to undisclosed tightness. The star RB said the plan was always for the team to play it safe with him to have him fully ready for the start of the 2026 regular season, and it makes sense given his lengthy injury history. Until further notice, there is no reason for fantasy managers to pull CMC out of their starting lineups for Week 1. The 30-year-old four-time Pro Bowler and 2023 Offensive Player of the Year is a league-winner if he stays healthy, which is what he did in 2025, when he ran for 1,202 yards and 10 touchdowns while adding 102 receptions for 924 yards and seven touchdowns in 17 regular-season games.