Christian McCaffrey Sits Out Practice, But Shanahan Waves Off Panic
The 49ers RB missed a practice session, but Kyle Shanahan says it's precautionary. McCaffrey led the NFL with 413 touches last year.
Precautionary rest, not a red flag — keep him locked as your RB1.
- Led NFL with 413 touches in 2025
- 1,202 rush yds, 10 TD; 102 catches, 924 yds, 7 TD
- Our #1 overall and #1 RB
- 417 PPR pts in 2025 (17 games, actual)
- Played only 4 games in 2024 (Achilles/PCL)
Christian McCaffrey skipped a 49ers practice session this week, and if you drafted him at 1.01 your stomach probably dropped. But Kyle Shanahan is telling everyone to breathe. The head coach said he isn't concerned about the setback, framing it as a decision to keep McCaffrey from toughing through tightness and turning a minor thing into a month-long problem.
That context matters because we've seen this movie before. McCaffrey battled calf tightness in 2024 training camp that snowballed into a lost season — he suited up for just four games before Achilles tendinitis and a separate PCL injury shut him down. Shanahan's whole message is essentially: we're being cautious precisely so 2024 doesn't repeat.
The counterweight to the worry is what McCaffrey did the moment he was healthy. In 2025 he was a workhorse machine, leading the entire league with 413 touches across 17 games. He turned that into 1,202 rushing yards and 10 scores on 311 carries, then added 102 catches for 924 yards and seven more touchdowns through the air.
Why Shanahan Isn't Sweating It
Read the coach's comments closely and the plan is obvious. He said McCaffrey needs to be prepared for Week 1, but he's confident in the work McCaffrey has already banked this camp and over his career. The absence is about managing tightness now, not reacting to a fresh injury. That's a very different tone than a coach dodging questions about an MRI.
The Fantasy Read
McCaffrey sits at #1 overall and RB1 in our rankings for good reason — that 417 PPR points in 2025 was elite, workhorse volume that nobody else in the league touched. The one yellow flag in the data: his last five games of 2025 dipped 3.4 fantasy points below his season average, so the usage was heavy enough to leave a mark down the stretch.
Verdict: HOLD, and don't overthink it. This is a precautionary rest from a coach who lived through the 2024 nightmare and is determined not to repeat it. Keep McCaffrey glued to your lineup as your RB1, but do yourself a favor and grab a stash-worthy handcuff late — his injury history and 413-touch workload mean insurance is smart, not paranoid.
