Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or Tyler Warren

Saturday, December 20, 6:03 AM

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey will put a four-game touchdown streak on the line in Week 16 against the Colts. Last week, Indianapolis held Seahawks running backs Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet out of the end zone, but had given up at least one rushing touchdown to a running back in each of their six previous games. McCaffrey appears to be clear of the back injury that made him a surprising late addition to the 49ers' injury report last week, and should see plenty of work on Monday night. If Ricky Pearsall (knee/ankle) is unable to play, then CMC would likely reemerge as a candidate to lead the team in targets, as he has done six times already in 2025. Fantasy football managers should watch for the 49ers' final injury report, but assuming McCaffrey is fully healthy, he has the potential for a top-3 finish at his position.

Sunday, December 21, 8:13 AM

Indianapolis Colts tight end Tyler Warren has been in a slump over the last few weeks, falling under the 5.0 PPR point mark in each contest. Over the last three games, Warren has finished with 22 yards or fewer in every contest, but did manage to find the back of the end zone in Week 13, which salvaged his fantasy day. The change to 44-year-old Philip Rivers at quarterback doesn't seem to be doing this passing attack any favors, as he only caught three passes for 19 yards in Sunday's loss to the Seahawks. Warren has seen six targets in two straight games, so the target share remains high, but his production has remained low. He'll head into a plus-matchup against the San Francisco 49ers defense in Week 16, facing a defense that has allowed nine touchdowns to opposing tight ends this season. Warren has enough upside to be plugged in as a low-end TE1 for this Monday Night matchup in 12-team formats.