There were obvious concerns about Christian McCaffrey heading into this season when it came to fantasy football: He's a year older, he's had a history of injuries, but he's so talented that you had to take him up high in drafts.
And after Thursday's San Francisco 49ers win over the Los Angeles Rams, there's another concern: Rookie RB Kaelon Black got a lot of work -- his 14 carries were four more than McCaffrey had, although the veteran ended up with 68 yards to Black's 65 and McCaffrey caught five passes.
Is it time for CMC managers to be alarmed that there will be more of a timeshare than a McCaffrey-dominated backfield? Here's why I'll say they shouldn't be worried... yet.
49ers rookie RB Kaelon Black: · Played 44% of snaps with CMC healthy
· Out-carried CMC 14-10 · Averaged 4.6 yards per carry · Most valuable handcuff in fantasy if CMC goes down And he's available in 74% of Yahoo leagues. pic.twitter.com/EHkoW4CcpO
— Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) September 11, 2026
Why Christian McCaffrey fantasy football managers shouldn't worry yet
First off, this was a game script that ended up with the Niners up big. There was no reason to lean on McCaffrey in the second half as the 49ers pulled away. You have to imagine if it was a closer game, he would have seen the field more.
But it is a sign that the Niners might manage his workload a little more closely to keep him healthy, and given how explosive he is -- he had 6.8 yards per carry on Thursday -- that will keep him piling up the fantasy points.
So he may still be an RB1, even with a reduced workload.
Kaelon Black is a must-add off the waiver wire
Obviously, the 49ers plan on using him more this season than many of us thought. And that means he is top add on the waiver wire -- either he'll be ready to take on a full workload if McCaffrey gets injured, or he could have a Blake Corum-like role as a 1B moving forward.
But don't expect to see this kind of usage EVERY game -- it may be dependent on game script week to week.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Should Christian McCaffrey fantasy managers be alarmed by Kaelon Black usage?
