Christian McCaffrey hasn't missed a game for the 49ers since coming over in a midseason trade from the Panthers a year ago. After 19 consecutive games played, however, he's about to be sideline for the first time since 2021.
McCaffrey suffered an oblique injury in San Francisco's shocking 19-17 upset loss in Cleveland on Sunday. Although early reports say the ailment is not that serious, CMC is bound to need a few weeks to heal, given he tried to return vs. the Browns and couldn't stay in the game.
The 49ers have a bye in Week 9 before traveling to the Vikings in Week 7 (Monday night) and host the Bengals in Week 8 (Sunday late afternoon). Playing the long game, the 49ers should err on the side of caution with McCaffrey vs. putting him at risk for a more significant injury. A two-to-four week window of recovery for an oblique would put McCaffrey on track to return for a big road game at the Jaguars in Week 10.
WEEK 7 FANTASY: Top waiver pickups | FAAB budget planner | Trade advice
Without McCaffrey, the 49ers will need to turn to a committee of backs to replace him in their vaunted zone rushing attack as he has averaged 18-plus carries this season. They also need to replace his average 4-plus targets in the passing game, third on the team behind wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiuk. Here's breaking down the effect McCaffrey's absence, short or long-term, will have on the 49ers' fantasy football production:
WEEK 7 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
49ers RB Depth Chart: Who is Christian McCaffrey's handcuff?
That answer may have changed over the past few weeks. Elijah Mitchell was the first man up relieving McCaffrey in a Thursday night game against the Giants in Week 3, but after that game, Mitchell went on the shelf again himself with a knee injury until he was active Sunday vs. the Browns.
Jordan Mason saw an expanded role in the blowout win over the Cowboys in Week 5, with 10 carries for 69 yards and a TD. He followed that up with five carries for 27 yards and a TD helping to replace McCaffrey on the ground vs. the Browns. On top of the superior, explosive production, he more than doubled up a healthy Mitchell in snaps, 15 to seven, after McCaffrey was hurt. Percentage-wise, it was a 58-24-11 split, with CMC able to play 36 of 62 snaps.
WEEK 7 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Should you pick up Elijah Mitchell or Jordan Mason on waivers in fantasy?
Mason seems the preferred option for the 49ers and fantasy owners based on the usage and effectiveness, but keep in mind the team shied away from overextending Mitchell coming back from his knee injury. Second-year back Tyrion Davis-Price was a healthy inactive against the Browns, too. Mason should be the priority on waivers, bound to get the majority of touches, but Mitchell and TDP also will see some complementary work.
Who will pick up Christian McCaffrey's receiving production for the 49ers?
Going back to last season with Mason, Mitchell, and others, the 49ers don't throw often to backs not named McCaffrey. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk had 19 targets all last season and is again No. 2 to CMC with six targets in six games.
Mason edges out Mitchell for the back to have, even without the significant role as a receiver, but with Deebo Samuel (shoulder) also hurting again, new No. 1 wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and tight end George Kittle are set to see target spikes. With Samuel down, Jauan Jennings was second to Aiyuk's 10 targets at wideout with four targets vs. the Browns. The 49ers also gave gadget receiver/return man Ray-Ray McLoud three touches, which he turned into 27 scrimmage yards.
Offensive-minded coach Kyle Shanahan is all about spreading the ball around on short-to-intermediate routes and also taking calculated deep shots. McCaffrey's targets are set to be scattered, and unfortunately, they won't be using either Mason or Mitchell in the same way.
Nothing really changes for Aiyuk, but no McCaffrey keeps Jennings involved, and hopefully, the 49ers will give George Kittle more targets after he got only one vs. the Browns. Juszczyk could see two targets a game vs. one, too.
How does Christian McCaffrey's injury impact Brock Purdy's fantasy value?
Since Purdy took over as the top QB as a rookie in Week 13 last week, he's finished as a top-15 fantasy QB in nine of 12 regular-season games. That includes six top-10 finishes.
Purdy hit McCaffrey for a 13-yard TD early against the Browns, but that was his only score in the game. He had only 125 yards passing with an interception against a tough defense on the road, finishing as QB23 for the second time this season.
Some will point to no McCaffrey having the most adverse effect on Purdy, but the Cleveland pass rush and coverage are nasty. Not having Samuel at WR or LT Trent Williams to shore up the blindside pass protection also were major factors in his pressure-packed outing.
Purdy gets a good matchup by the numbers against the Vikings' shaky pass defense on the road in Week 7. The Bengals provide more of an average passing spot in Week 8.
The 49ers still should stick with running well with Mason, Mitchell, and a little Davis-Price in their strong zone scheme, even without McCaffrey and/or Williams. That plays into the right brand of complementary football for their defense.
Purdy has counted on shorter throws to McCaffrey for only 13 percent of his passing yards (177 of 1,396). He also just threw his first INT of the season against the league's top pass defense. Given CMC's big-run explosiveness in relation to Mason and Mitchell, the 49ers should pass a little more minus McCaffrey. They're already at 51.4-48.6 pass-run split this year, significantly bumped up from a league-low 46.9 pass percent last year.
The 49ers trust a Year 2 Purdy to throw more when the matchup dictates. That won't change with no McCaffrey. Aiyuk and Kittle still provide a hard-to-cover 1-2 punch, and Jennings has done the job when given chances.
Purdy is playable against the Vikings and because of his healthy weapons, a borderline start vs. the Bengals. Although not having the threat of McCaffrey hurts Purdy, he still has proved he can put up pleasing passing stats independent of the rushing attack.
The 49ers' offense in general loses key pop without McCaffrey. Right along with that, Purdy is downgraded a little from his back-end fantasy QB1 status.
