49ers who must be on a snap count over final 3 weeks of 2022
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey
Ideally, San Francisco would have enjoyed a one-two punch with running backs Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell after the latter returned from a Week 1 knee injury in the middle of the season. But Mitchell subsequently injured the other knee, meaning McCaffrey is going to shoulder the bulk of the load on the ground.
The 49ers don’t quite seem to trust their undrafted rookie, Jordan Mason, fully just yet. But that still shouldn’t mean McCaffrey winds up being overworked, much as he was during the Niners’ Week 15 win over Seattle.
In that game, McCaffrey had a whopping 32 touches for 138 all-purpose yards and a touchdown.
That’s great for some stat padding, but it’s also putting more wear and tear on an injury-prone McCaffrey.
Considering how much better San Francisco’s offense has been with McCaffrey in the mix, it’d be wise to limit his use down the stretch in what are becoming meaningless games.