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Christian McCaffrey Update Should Excite Fantasy Football Owners

Originally posted on The Spun | By Chris Rosvoglou | Last updated Aug 22, 2025 8:39 AM ET

Is it worth picking Christian McCaffrey in the first round of your fantasy football draft? That's a question that many people are considering as Week 1 of the regular season approaches.

McCaffrey was outstanding for the San Francisco 49ers in 2023, racking up 1,459 rushing yards, 741 receiving yards and 21 total touchdowns. Not only was he named Offensive Player of the Year, he helped his team get all the way to the Super Bowl. Of course, it doesn't hurt that he carried fantasy football owners to the championship game.

Unfortunately for McCaffrey, the 2024 season was plagued with injuries. For starters, he was diagnosed with bilateral Achilles tendinitis during the summer. Even when he returned to the field, he only lasted four games before suffering a PCL injury. When it was all said and done, he finished the year with 202 rushing yards on 50 carries. Believe it or not, the three-time Pro Bowl running back failed to reach the end zone.

Which version of McCaffrey will show up this fall? On Thursday, we received an update from 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams.

CMC is back to his old form.

Following practice on Thursday afternoon, Williams was asked about McCaffrey's outlook for the 2025 season. The 11-time Pro Bowler let everyone know that CMC has turned back the clock to 2023.

"Christian looks fantastic. He looks like Offensive Player of the Year Christian, so that's really refreshing to see," Williams said. "To see him out this year 100% healthy and treating every play like it's his last really motivates the rest of the guys."

Those comments from Williams should give fantasy football owners the confidence they need to select McCaffrey. It's also worth noting he's not the only player on the 49ers offering this kind of praise at camp.

"He was the Offensive Player of the Year two years ago," 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk previously said about McCaffrey. "He changes everything, and he looks incredible. He looks so healthy. He looks so explosive."

"He looks like Offensive Player of the Year Christian."

Trent is confident CMC is ready to go this season pic.twitter.com/DICZiRG4qT
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) August 21, 2025

Where does McCaffrey rank among 2025 running backs?

As of now, ESPN has McCaffrey ranked as the No. 7 player in PPR leagues . He's currently behind three running backs - Bijan Robinson, Saquon Barkley and Jahmyr Gibbs.

We're not ready to say McCaffrey should leapfrog that trio we previously mentioned, but he should provide great value for fantasy football owners picking at the end of the first round.

If McCaffrey can just stay healthy for the majority of the 2025 season, he should finish the year as a top-10 fantasy player. He's just too explosive and gets way too many scoring opportunities to be ranked lower.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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