Christian McCaffrey was acquired by the San Francisco 49ers from the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night in exchange for a number of 2023 draught picks and a 2024 fourth-round pick. As a result, the 49ers have made a huge move by giving Kyle Shanahan’s offence even another potent weapon. McCaffrey’s fantasy value should rise as a result of being removed from the Panthers’ stagnant offence. The three greatest Fantasy Football winners and losers following the Christian McCaffrey deal will be examined here.
BREAKING: The Panthers have traded RB Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for draft picks, per @AdamSchefter pic.twitter.com/zIrlsJirH9
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) October 21, 2022
This season, McCaffrey served as the major offensive weapon for the NFL’s least effective offence. He contributed 158 of Carolina’s 203 total yards last Sunday, and he is now a part of a talented run-first team. The most diverse offensive weapons in the league, CMC and Deebo Samuel, will be paired up together for the remainder of the campaign. For the remainder of this year, San Francisco’s opponents are in for a nightmare.
It’s challenging not to view this as a huge victory for McCaffrey, both in fiction and in reality. If you enjoyed his performance in the offensive wasteland of the Panthers, you’ll appreciate the results when he joins a team that enjoys scoring points.
However, the 49ers have only successfully completed 19 passes to running backs this year. Although those are among of the lowest totals in the NFL, we should have confidence that Shanahan and his team want to make the most of McCaffrey’s talents. Remember that CMC averaged 111.7 scrimmage yards per game over the course of six games. He is therefore on track to surpass 1,900 for the season. There is no reason to think he won’t keep gaining yards for the Niners at the same rate now that he has the added benefit of a weekly touchdown.
Here are the top three Fantasy Football winners and losers following the Christian McCaffrey trade, excluding the player himself.
Winner: D’Onta Foreman takes Christian McCaffrey’s spot
D’Onta Foreman is the obvious choice for the Panthers’ new RB1 in the backfield. Remember that Foreman, who showed promise with the Tennessee Titans in 2021, was signed to a one-year contract this summer.
Despite sharing time with backup Chuba Hubbard, Foreman is the bigger and more versatile back. Last weekend, he also witnessed more snaps than Hubbard. While Hubbard only got two carries, Foreman had five. That might mean he has a good chance of getting the bulk of the action for the rest of the year.
Foreman appears to be a better match for that position despite neither Hubbard nor Foreman having played in any red-zone situations this season based on prior usage. He is the slightly larger of the two backs, and teams prefer to use him for goal-line and short-yardage situations.
If head coach Steve Wilks adopts a hot-hand approach, Hubbard would be worth a look in deeper leagues. Having said that, Foreman is currently the best option if your fantasy team is searching for a potential starting running back who can also function as a weekly option.
Loser: Jeff Wilson, Jr. gets fewer touches
Without a doubt, the addition of Christian McCaffrey lowers the value of 49ers RB Jeff Wilson. Wilson should be benched if McCaffrey suits up for the 49ers against the Chiefs in Week 7 (which we anticipate). Managers can still employ Wilson as an RB2 or a flex option if the club holds out for CMC. McCaffrey may be used in a red zone package against Kansas City on Sunday, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Wilson might continue to participate in his team’s Week 7 running attack in that situation. But as McCaffrey’s workload increases in the upcoming weeks, his fantasy worth ought to decline.
With CMC now in town, Wilson should expect to play a supporting role. Even though McCaffrey has a majority of the team’s backfield touches now that he has mastered the playbook, Wilson still leads the 49ers with 81 carries after six games.
When Mitchell came back, Wilson’s fantasy value was initially anticipated to decline, but any potential sell-high opportunities have all but disappeared. In the event that McCaffrey participates this week and receives more than ten touches, Wilson’s fantasy value will be at its highest. But if you look ahead, it’s obvious that Wilson’s time as the top running back in Shanahan’s plan is winding down.
Loser: Elijah Mitchell takes a backseat
Elijah Mitchell, a former starting running back for the 49ers, was a trendy, cool athlete to select in fantasy draughts this year. But when he recovers from his wound, he will find a drastically changed environment waiting for him. The best-case scenario for Mitchell in the post-CMC deal era seems to be eight to ten touches per game and goal-line work. If the 49ers want to keep McCaffrey in such a situation, that is.
Once more, it is anticipated that Mitchell will be CMC’s top backup when he returns. The caveat, however, is that it would not be unexpected to see Mitchell and McCaffrey share touches for the remainder of the campaign considering their injury histories.
Better look for alternatives if you have big plans for Mitchell in the second part of the 2022 NFL season. While McCaffrey is healthy, the 49ers will only use Mitchell occasionally. You can keep him on injured reserve for the time being, but expect his outlook for the remainder of the season to worsen.
Fantasy Football’s top 3 winners and losers after the Panthers-49ers game First on ClutchPoints, the Christian McCaffrey trade was announced.
