Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or Tyjae Spears

Saturday, June 29, 1:07 PM

No NFL running back played a higher percentage of his team's offensive snaps last year than San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey. Elijah Mitchell, their top backup, missed six games in another injury-riddled season, and McCaffrey was simply too good to take off the field. CMC led the league with 1,459 rushing yards -- 292 more than the next best RB. His 21 TDs tied for the league lead and he also added 564 receiving yards, which ranked fourth on the 49ers. His 339 total touches were the second-most of his career. McCaffrey's efforts earned him Offensive Player of the Year honors and a two-year extension. The Niners would love a repeat performance in 2024, but perhaps with less wear and tear. A healthy Mitchell would help them accomplish that. "We have to protect Christian from himself. He doesn't like to ever come out no matter what the situation is and I do think that's something we could protect him with more," head coach Kyle Shanahan said.

Sunday, January 7, 4:34 PM

Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears rushed three times for 25 yards and a touchdown and caught three passes for 41 yards and a touchdown in the Week 18 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. With Derrick Henry likely heading to a new organization this offseason, Spears could find himself as the team's RB1 in 2024. That said, Tennessee will surely add competition to the backfield, so this is a situation worth monitoring. Either way, it was a great performance for the rookie to close out his debut season.