Who Should I Start? Michael Thomas or Christian McCaffrey

Wednesday, September 11, 8:40 PM

The National Football League on Wednesday announced that it has lifted the suspension of free-agent wide receiver Michael Thomas. Thomas was suspended for the first game of the 2024 NFL season for an incident with a construction worker near his home last year. The fact that the 31-year-old remained without a team all offseason is a sign that he may struggle to latch on with an organization despite the fact that he's past his one-game suspension. Just several years ago, Thomas was the best receiver in the league, but injuries have limited him to 20 games since the start of the 2020 campaign, and he played in just 10 games with the New Orleans Saints last year before a knee injury ended his season. He caught 39 passes for 448 yards and one touchdown in 2023. Thomas belongs on the waiver wire in all leagues and is unlikely to be on the fantasy radar in 2024.

Thursday, December 11, 8:45 PM

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (illness) was a limited participant during practice on Thursday. This was an improvement in status for McCaffrey, who missed practice entirely on Wednesday. He's trending in the right direction to play against the Tennessee Titans in Week 15, but managers should check back on Friday for additional confirmation on his status. If he's able to practice in full, he could avoid any sort of injury designation heading into the weekend. However, if he remains limited, the 49ers may list him as questionable. With that being said, the fact that McCaffrey was able to get on the field in some capacity on Thursday bodes well for his Week 15 availability. If active, he'll rank as a high-end RB1 against the Titans, who have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to running backs in 2025.