Christian McCaffrey 2024 Fantasy Outlook – THE RB1?

The 2024 fantasy football season is quickly approaching, and everyone is preparing for their fantasy drafts. Anyone with the 1.01 pick has an easy decision to make. Christian McCaffrey is the near-consensus top pick. However, should he be?

In this article, I’ll break down McCaffrey’s 2024 fantasy football outlook for both redraft leagues and dynasty fantasy football purposes. Additionally, I will dive into the pros and cons of drafting him this upcoming season. Let’s get right into it.

RB Christian McCaffrey Fantasy Value

McCaffrey has been the clear-cut top running back in the NFL and fantasy football since getting traded to the San Francisco 49ers during the 2022 season. The superstar played only 28% of the snaps in his team debut in Week 7. However, he was the RB1 from Week 8 through Week 18, averaging 20.5 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. Furthermore, McCaffrey was the RB1 last year, averaging 22.4 fantasy points per game, 2.5 more than any other running back.

The superstar running back led the NFL in rushing yards in 2023 with 1,459, totaling 292 more than the second-place Derrick Henry. McCaffrey was outstanding despite playing with an impressive passing attack in San Francisco. The veteran led the league with 21 offensive touchdowns, a career-high. More importantly, McCaffrey had a massive role in the team’s passing attack, leading the 49ers in receiving touchdowns (seven) despite ranking fourth in targets (83).

Fantasy Football Outlook

Fantasy players would have a slam-dunk easy decision with the 1.01 pick this year if McCaffrey didn’t have any red flags. Unfortunately, the veteran running back has struggled with injuries, missing nearly 70% of the games during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. While he managed to stay healthy the past two years, fantasy players should worry about him holding up in 2024.

McCaffrey had 668 touches over the past two seasons, totaling 329 or more both years. Furthermore, he recently turned 28 – the age when running backs’ production typically starts declining. Meanwhile, San Francisco improved their passing attack, using a first-round pick in the NFL Draft on Ricky Pearsall to pair with Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, and George Kittle. Therefore, McCaffrey could see a decline in touches, especially in the passing game, this season.

Dynasty Football Outlook

In dynasty fantasy football leagues, you can make a case for McCaffrey as the overall RB1 for contending teams. The superstar has been, far and away, the top running back in fantasy football over the past two years. However, the age and injury concerns are certainly factors. Furthermore, there are several younger running backs with similar upside for 2024 and more in the future than the veteran, including Breece Hall and Bijan Robinson.

While it might be easier said than done, fantasy players should sell high on the superstar running back. McCaffrey’s fantasy value will never be higher, making him the perfect sell-high candidate. Unless fantasy players have a top-tier contending team that can win it all this season, it’s time to move on from the future Hall of Famer.

Conclusion

Overall, McCaffrey is clearly an elite NFL and fantasy football running back. I will have him as the top pick in my redraft rankings because the veteran has been a fantasy cheat code in his career when healthy. However, there are concerns attached to him, namely his age and injury history. While I wouldn’t draft CeeDee Lamb, Hall, or Robinson ahead of McCaffrey, fantasy players shouldn’t get called crazy for making that move.

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