Fantasy Football Player Notes

The 49ers were judicious in their usage of McCaffrey after acquiring CMC from the Panthers last October. But while McCaffrey didn't see the massive touch counts that categorized his early years in Carolina, he was still highly productive, averaging 21.7 fantasy points per game in 11 games with the Niners. McCaffrey's run-catch versatility makes him a hand-in-glove fit for 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense, and an abundance of surrounding skill-player talent makes it hard for opposing defenses to focus on CMC. Start McCaffrey with confidence this week even in a tricky road matchup against the Steelers.

Will Mitchell have stand-alone fantasy value with Christian McCaffrey around? We don't have a lot of information to go on, since injuries limited Mitchell to five games last season. McCaffrey was around for four of those games, and Mitchell averaged 9.8 carries, 59.5 rushing yards and 0.4 touchdowns per game after CMC's arrival. Mitchell doesn't catch many passes, and McCaffrey's presence puts a lid on Mitchell's rushing volume. Mitchell might be flex-worthy in deep leagues once byes and injuries start to hit fantasy managers hard. But for now, keep Mitchell on your bench.