2025 was a banner season for Christian McCaffrey in fantasy football land. The San Francisco 49ers offense was down many pieces, but McCaffrey was the constant and a force. Fantasy football managers were rewarded for their gamble with the overall RB1. Plain and simple, if you drafted McCaffrey, you probably won your league.
But what about 2026? Following a season with 450 touches, including the postseason, the running back is entering his year 30 season. There is no doubt of McCaffrey’s ability on the field,
but the concern is a potential injury.
I spoke with former NFL Network and CBS Sports fantasy football analyst Michael Fabiano about drafting McCaffrey and his thought process entering last year’s draft about CMC. The Sports Illustrated analyst admits he faded McCaffrey last season, which was a mistake, and only has Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs ahead of McCaffrey in 2026, but is proceeding with caution.
“ I was wrong about him last year. I was right about Barkley, I was right about Jaxon Smith-Njigba, I was right about Drake Maye. CMC was my biggest whiff. Because I didn’t say not to draft him, I just said I don’t wanna draft him in the first round, and if you didn’t draft him in the first round, you weren’t getting him.
The durability issues were huge for me. The previous year he had only played four games, and he averaged, like, 12 points per game in those games, and you started to wonder i- if there were gonna be, you know, suddenly some kinks in the armor. And then last year he went nuts. On a Niners team that had all kinds of injuries, he was the one durable dude, right?
So, I mean, go figure. The fantasy football gods are laughing at us. But I think the same concerns are very, very realistic right now, and maybe even more so. He had 450 touches last year, 450 between the regular season and playoffs. That is a ton of work for a guy who’s 30. And now you’re playing in an offense that is like a mash unit.“
Personally, I can never bring myself to draft McCaffrey. You can’t win your league in the first round, but you sure can lose it, and I never can risk my first-round pick. If you did last season, man, you were rewarded. I’m not sure I will draft him if available in the first round, but you know what they say: No risk it, no biscuit.
What are your thoughts on McCaffrey in fantasy football this season? Will you be drafting him? Let us know in the comments! For a longer discussion featuring Fabiano, check out the video below:
