Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or Tyjae Spears


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
19.5 63.1 0.5 4.6 40.3 0.3

Christian McCaffrey News

Christian McCaffrey Still Not Practicing, Injury Concerns Continue to Rise

Sunday, August 16, 9:50 AM

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey will remain out of practice Sunday, according to Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group. McCaffrey hasn't practiced since August 10 while dealing with what the team has called tightness. San Francisco has downplayed it. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said last week that his concern would be McCaffrey trying to push through the tightness and turning it into something worse. Still, nearly a week off the field is hard to completely shrug off with McCaffrey. He handled a career-high 413 touches in 2025, rushing for 1,202 yards and 10 touchdowns while adding 102 catches for 924 yards and seven more scores. The recent injury history is part of the concern, too. McCaffrey missed 13 games in 2024 because of Achilles tendinitis and a later PCL injury. There is still nothing coming out of San Francisco suggesting this is a serious injury, but fantasy managers will want to see McCaffrey back on the practice field soon.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
8.0 23.9 0.2 2.5 16.7 0.1

Tyjae Spears News

Tyjae Spears Impresses in Preseason Debut Amid Depth Chart Battle

Friday, August 14, 5:24 AM

With the Tennessee Titans' rushing attack looking potent for the duration of the team's preseason debut, a 19-13 victory over the 49ers on Thursday night, fourth-year running back Tyjae Spears ran for 35 yards on only four carries, breaking off a 25-yard run on the Titans' opening scoring drive. Spears also added four receiving yards by reeling in his lone target of the night, and he figures to see a significant role in the passing game in 2026. By all accounts, he has stood out in that regard throughout training camp, and with veteran Tony Pollard still expected to see the bulk of the carries, Spears will likely need to rely on his receiving work to find and maintain fantasy relevance. With rookie Nicholas Singleton also expected to factor into the team's plans, Tennessee's running back situation remains too muddled to make Spears a must-land draft target. Still, as RotoBaller's RB50, he's a player whose usage should be watched in the opening weeks of 2026, as he could quickly reveal himself to be an early-season waiver wire priority.


Christian McCaffrey vs. Tyjae Spears

Still trying to decide between McCaffrey and Spears? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Christian McCaffrey is projected to score 19.5 points this week while Tyjae Spears is projected to score 8.0 points.