The fantasy football world has its first blockbuster move before the NFL trade deadline, as the Panthers have sent superstar running back Christian McCaffrey to the 49ers. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, San Francisco sent their 2023 second, third, and fourth-round picks and a fifth-rounder in 2024 to Carolina to acquire McCaffrey.
The move has fantasy implications for several players, but let’s start with McCaffrey. His value won’t change a ton as he’ll remain a top-three running back in fantasy football, but playing in a Kyle Shanahan offense is an exciting thought for fans. His system has always been running back friendly, so McCaffrey should shine.
Of course, adding CMC means the value of Jeff Wilson Jr., Elijah Mitchell and any other Niners runner takes a major blow. Whether or not McCaffrey plays for his new team in Week 7 against the Chiefs remains to be seen (but we hope so), so I wouldn’t bench Wilson just yet. He could be a serviceable RB2/flex if CMC is held out. But either way, Wilson’s time as the top running back in Shanahan’s offense is coming to an end.
