The 49ers had a no good, terrible, horrible, very bad Sunday Night Football game in Week 13. Not only did they trek across the country to play in the snow and get white-washed 35-10. But they also may have lost superstar running back Christian McCaffrey ($8,200; 8.7 FPTS) for the rest of the season. If CMC is done for the year, both Jordan Mason ($4,500; 7.8 FPTS) and Isaac Guerendo ($4,000; 8.6 FPTS) become instant adds from the waiver wire if available in your league. Let’s take a look at the latest from Sunday night’s fallout.
The latest on McCaffrey
It didn’t take long for the seriousness of McCaffrey’s injury to become apparent. After the game coach Kyle Shanahan admitted it could be season-ending, which is very unsual for a coach to admit until further evaluation.
Here’s what NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport had to say on Monday morning:
From @GMFB: #49ers RB Christian McCaffrey may be done for the season; #Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence is in the concussion protocol; Baker Mayfield gets a scare. pic.twitter.com/GPA8KYAxZd
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 2, 2024
If McCaffrey is indeed done for the year, he’ll finish with just 202 rushing yards, 146 receiving yards and no touchdowns. Last year in 16 games, CMC racked up 1,459 rushing yards, 564 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns. While this PCL injury is serious and likely a mult-week injury, it isn’t something that should impact his availability next season, when the 49ers will count on him to bounce eback with closer to those 2023 numbers.
Jordan Mason’s upside
While CMC was out earlier this season, Mason looked like a top-10 running back in Shanahan’s system. Because he wasn’t getting much work after CMC’s return, though, he’s available in over half of season-long leagues and is sure to be near the top of everyone’s waiver wire claims this week.
If you can land Mason, he could be a league-winner for you based on his early season success. He had 20+ fantasy points in three of the first four games of the season and over 9.0 fantasy points in six straight games.
Mason hurt his shoulder which slowed him down after that impressive start, but he has recovered from that injury and looked good on Sunday night after CMC left. He finished with 78 rushing yards on 13 carries.
It is worth noting that Mason was evaluated for a concussion but was cleared.
#49ers RB Jordan Mason was evaluated for a concussion. He was cleared to return.
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) December 2, 2024
Isaac Guerendo as a sleeper pickup
Mason isn’t the only player whose fantasy value gets a boost with CMC’s injury. Guerendo had four carries for 19 yards on Sunday in Buffalo and scored the 49ers only touchdown of the night.
Run, Run, Isaac
📺: NBC pic.twitter.com/lZDMRQJkqX
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) December 2, 2024
Guerendo’s ownership is under 5.0%, but he showcased upside earlier this season. He can carry the workload and be productive in Kyle Shanahan’s system, as he demonstrated inWeek 8 after Mason left with his shoulder injury. Guerendo took 14 carries for 85 yards and a touchdown while also catching three passes for 17 yards. He didn’t get a chance at the starting role, though, since the bye week allowed the other backs to return.
In his limited playing time, Guerendo has actually proven to be a better receiver out of the backfield than Mason, so he could end up in a timeshare as a third-down back or at least as part of a rotation. There’s also the possibility that Mason’s concussion or shoulder injury is more of a factor than expected, which would instantly make Guerendo a smash play going forward.
If you’re too low on the waiver wire priroity or don’t have enough budget left for Mason, Guerendo is a very solid backup plan and has a very high upside as a waiver wire pickup at the hardest position to add depth this late in the season.
TLDR
Add Mason wherever you can and stash Guerendo if possible. Both will be fantasy football impact options if CMC is out for the season.
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