Christian McCaffrey is expected to play a key role in the San Francisco 49ers‘ 2024 season rebound, following a disappointing 6-11 record last year. However, concerns around the Christian McCaffrey 49ers workload concerns 2024 have surfaced due to his recent injury history and the risk it poses to his availability and performance.
McCaffrey missed 13 games last season because of two separate injuries, which raises questions about his durability moving forward. The 49ers and their fans hope to see the 2023 McCaffrey return—a player who led the league with 1,459 rushing yards, scored 14 rushing touchdowns, and added 67 receptions for 564 yards and seven receiving touchdowns. Yet, some experts believe expecting that level of production may be overly optimistic.
ESPN’s senior fantasy football writer Eric Karabell cautions both the 49ers and fantasy football managers about relying heavily on McCaffrey. He writes,
“A healthy McCaffrey is a wonderful player, as most recently seen in 2023, but the 49ers — and fantasy managers — simply cannot count on his attendance,”
adding,
“The 49ers must monitor his workload and hope for the best. This is a bad combination for someone likely to be an early-round draft pick. Perhaps McCaffrey, 29, returns to a high level of performance and carries the 49ers and your fantasy team, but he’s been a top-10 RB in only two of the past five seasons.”
Typically, teams ease star players back from significant injuries by limiting their workload, but the 49ers’ offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak has indicated there are no plans to do so with McCaffrey in 2024. Kubiak stated the coaching staff does not believe they need to take extraordinary measures to shield the veteran running back from further injuries on the field.
He further explained,
“You’re always cognizant of the reps you’re putting on guys, especially in practice, when we do that with Christian all the time, we monitor his reps and you have to be smart when you’re in games,”
emphasizing the importance of managing McCaffrey’s exposure during play.
This tension highlights the 49ers’ challenge of balancing McCaffrey’s workload to maximize his impact while preserving his health, an issue with major implications for their 2024 campaign and fantasy football entrants nationwide. How the team manages his role and durability could determine both their offensive success and McCaffrey’s fantasy appeal as the season progresses.