Fantasy Football Player Notes

McCaffrey remained "THE DUDE" at running back in fantasy last year. He was the RB1 in fantasy, finishing as an RB1 in 81% of his games and as a top 24 RB in every game he played. McCaffrey averaged 21.2 touches and 126.5 total yards per game while ranking second in carries, fourth in targets, and first in red zone touches among running backs. There's no reason to expect a falloff entering 2024. His deeper efficiency metrics all scream that he remains in the prime of his career after ranking fourth in explosive run rate and 10th in yards after contact last season (per Fantasy Points Data). The biggest concern for McCaffrey is that he is entering his age-28 season and is coming off a year where he absorbed 417 touches (regular season and playoffs combined). We have seen extreme high-volume seasons ruin running backs before, but he should still be a top 3-5 pick in fantasy drafts. In many leagues, he will be drafted as the clear 1.01.

With Elijah Mitchell on the IR for the year and Mason crushing camp, he is the clear RB2 for the 49ers. He should be one of the most sought-after handcuffs in fantasy drafts this season. Mason hasn't seen the field much over the last two seasons (83 carries), but when he has, he has been productive. Since 2022, among 78 qualifying backs, he ranks second in yards after contact per attempt and 21st in missed tackles forced per attempt (per PFF). If Christian McCaffrey misses any time this season, Mason would be an automatic top-15 back in fantasy for the week.