The San Francisco 49ers will be without star Christian McCaffrey when opening the season against the New York Jets on Monday, as the star running back was ruled inactive due to a lingering calf/Achilles injury.
McCaffrey was limited in practice during the run-up to the game and was listed as questionable on the injury report. San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan called the calf/Achilles issues that kept him out of training camp “similar” to the calf injury he suffered in Week 17 last season. He didn’t play in Week 18, although the 49ers rested most of their starters in that contest, but returned for the divisional playoff game against the Green Bay Packers, rushing 17 times for 98 yards and catching seven passes for 30 yards.
Asked about his injury last week, McCaffrey gave very clipped answers but said he had no doubt he’d play against the Jets. Would he have his usual workload? “I hope so,” McCaffrey said.
Tonight’s #NYJvsSF @DignityHealth inactives.
📰: https://t.co/3BXyXsB7Er. pic.twitter.com/KMpSqlyWKA
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) September 9, 2024
Jordan Mason will start the game with Patrick Taylor Jr. and rookie Isaac Guerendo also active and available. Because both McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell were injured for most of training camp, Mason took the bulk of the first-team snaps this summer and looked sharp throughout. However, he’s a much different runner than McCaffrey and therefore the offense promises to look different against the Jets.
Though Mason improved his hands in the offseason, he’s not a natural pass catcher and certainly isn’t the route runner McCaffrey is. Mason had several drops in the preseason and training camp, though not as many as last year. Instead, he’s a big-bodied, physical runner who excels at gaining yards after contact. He averaged 3.1 yards after contact last season, per Pro Football Focus. (McCaffrey is no slouch in this area, either; he averaged 3.35 yards).
Mason averaged a solid 5.2 yards per carry last season, most of it coming at the end of games as the 49ers salted away victories. If he starts Monday night, it will be his first-ever NFL start.
Fantasy scoring impact
The McCaffrey injury is a potentially crushing blow for fantasy managers who took him No. 1 overall, but the wise managers among that group made sure to get Mason as a backup insurance policy.
Mason is likely to be the lead back in place of McCaffrey, although Guerendo could also see a solid work volume. Mason is rostered in only 23.7 percent of ESPN leagues and Guerendo has a roster rate of 0.8 percent, so if those fantasy managers can move CMC to IR or drop another 49ers or Jets player to make room for Mason or Guerendo, now’s the time to make that move. — KC Joyner, fantasy football contributor
(Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
