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Christian McCaffrey is one of the most unpredictable players when it comes to fantasy football. He seems to alternate years between being the best running back in the sport and being stuck in street clothes because of injuries. Last year, the San Francisco 49ers star dealt with the latter half of that equation despite being the consensus number one player coming into the year. So, what is McCaffrey's fantasy football outlook for the 2025 season?
Christian McCaffrey's 2024 fantasy football statistics
Everybody and their mother took McCaffrey first overall in fantasy football drafts last year following a season in which he surpassed 2,000 scrimmage yards and had 21 total touchdowns. McCaffrey didn't live up to expectations in 2024. The do-it-all running back was dealing with calf/achilles injuries that kept him out of the preseason.
It was widely assumed that he'd return quickly, but McCaffrey's 2024 debut kept getting moved back. Eventually, he was placed on the IR, and he wouldn't set foot on the field until Week 10. Even after returning, McCaffrey would go on to suffer a PCL injury that would shut his season down early.
McCaffrey was limited to four games in total because of his beat-up lower body, and he only racked up 202 rushing yards in total. He didn't punch the ball into the end zone one time in 2024, which was crazy because not long before, he had tied the record for consecutive games with a score.
McCaffrey's disappointing season amounted to just 32.8 standard fantasy points and 47.8 points in PPR leagues. Those marks were just the 73rd and 69th best finishes by running backs.
Christian McCaffrey's 2025 fantasy football projection
While it is safe to say McCaffrey let a lot of fantasy football managers down last year, football fans can get just as excited this year, because a bounce-back season could be right around the corner. As long as he can stay healthy, McCaffrey has all of the moves too stuff the stat sheet.
McCaffrey is a perfect fit in Kyle Shanahan's zone blocking system, especially because Brock Purdy loves to throw dump-off passes to running backs. McCaffrey is arguably the most talented pass-catching running back in the NFL. As a ball-carrier, he is patient and incredibly quick.
The Stanford product is expected to run for 1,189 yards and nine touchdowns this season. He is projected to add 72 catches for 612 receiving yards as well. Those are obviously monumental improvements from his numbers last season.
Fantasy football running back rankings
Fantasypros.com has McCaffrey as the RB5 and 11th-ranked player overall. His average draft position is 10.5. Fantasy owners know he has talent, which has revived his draft stock, but he is one of the biggest high-risk, high-reward players in fantasy. McCaffrey can easily outperform his draft slot, but fans who draft him better have some good backup options in case he goes down with an injury.
McCaffrey wasn't the only player on the 49ers roster who was negatively impacted by injuries. Nearly their entire team was beat up, and a healthy season as a whole will be beneficial to getting McCaffrey on track.
As is always the case with drafting McCaffrey, fantasy owners should also target his backups as handcuffs. Isaac Guerendo had some great flashes last year, although he is dealing with a shoulder injury in his own right. Jordan James is a rookie with some serious pop that could break onto the scene if McCaffrey struggles to stay healthy again.
