Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or Ty Chandler

Saturday, September 7, 5:04 PM

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (calf/Achilles) is questionable to play Monday night against the New York Jets. The superstar running back suffered a calf injury in August, knocking him out of the preseason and most of training camp. However, head coach Kyle Shanahan never seemed concerned about McCaffrey missing Week 1. Every indication has been that the veteran will be on the field for the Monday night matchup against the Jets. Yet, fantasy players should have a backup plan on their roster if McCaffrey is a last-minute inactive. Jordan Mason and Deebo Samuel will see most of the team's rushing workload if McCaffrey doesn't play.

Wednesday, September 4, 12:07 AM

Minnesota Vikings running back Ty Chandler is expected to return kicks following the latest depth chart update. Chandler is listed as the team's primary kick returner while Brandon Powell handles punt return duties. This development comes in the wake of Minnesota's decision to release talented returner Kene Nwangwu. Chandler has big shoes to fill but is likely up for the challenge after getting a taste of the job last year. He returned four kicks for 97 yards in 2023. Fantasy managers should keep in mind that just because he is returning kicks doesn't mean he won't see snaps out of the backfield. Minnesota is expected to rely on Chandler to take some of the workload off veteran Aaron Jones. Chandler might not see quite enough snaps to warrant any fantasy consideration immediately, but he's an intriguing insurance policy at the very least.