Why this 49ers player could explode in fantasy football vs. Arizona

The San Francisco 49ers have been leaning on Christian McCaffrey early in the season. The star running back has 17.5 rushes per game through two weeks and has added 8.5 targets per game. His total of 26 looks per game has resulted in him leading the team in rushing and being second in receiving on the 49ers. 

Will Christian McCaffrey have his best game against Arizona Cardinals?

McCaffrey enters the week as the number three fantasy football running back, but Joel Smyth of Yahoo Sports has a bold prediction that may lead to McCaffrey ascending to top running back status. He predicts McCaffrey posts 30+ fantasy points. 

Christian McCaffrey is back to doing Christian McCaffrey things to start the season. In terms of volume based on expected fantasy points, McCaffrey leads all running backs, with the second-best RB being 15% lower. He has not had that classic ceiling performance yet, but he has an insurmountable history versus Jonathan Gannon’s Cardinals. In his last two games versus Gannon’s defense, he has averaged 45 PPG, with 40+ points in each contest. With only six other 40+ point RB performances since 2023 in total, I’ll predict a modest 30+ for CMC in Week 3 as we see his volume pay off in full. Joel Smyth

To be fair to Jonathan Gannon, McCaffrey did not play last season, and 2023 was Year 1 of a rebuild for the head coach. He was changing a lot; he did not have any of his players, and the team was much worse when McCaffrey had seven touchdowns in two games. They looked much better last season. 

Still, if the Cardinals' defense can be beaten, it may be in the running game. The Cardinals boast a talented pass rush, but they are a bit thin up front. They also have not been tested on the ground quite yet.