Who Should I Start? Ezekiel Elliott or Christian McCaffrey

Monday, March 16, 4:20 AM

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey is a typical sell-high candidate in dynasty fantasy football leagues this offseason. Dynasty strategy strongly encourages managers to sell high on injury-prone skill players in their thirties coming off a top finish. However, moving McCaffrey at this point is far easier said than done, mostly because he's not comparable to any other running back in the NFL. Sure, he'll be 30 by the time the 2026 regular season gets underway, and yes, he missed 13 games in 2024. However, he was healthy for all 17 in 2025, he eclipsed 2,100 yards, and he finished as the clear-cut RB1 in fantasy scoring. Managers are encouraged to explore trade offers for McCaffrey, but they shouldn't sell high just for the sake of getting some compensation before it's too late in his career. Trading McCaffrey should still fetch a very significant, full-price package in dynasty leagues, because the 49ers' running back has overall RB1 upside again in 2026, and he should remain a top-10 option for at least a couple more years. Plus, the 49ers have shown no willingness to reduce his workload. They barely used backup Brian Robinson Jr. last season, and they have not yet brought in a replacement for Robinson in free agency.