Christian McCaffrey will turn 29 years old in June, and he's coming off playing just four games last season. With the ranks behind him on the running back depth chart thinned by the departures of Jordan Mason and Elijah Mitchell, the San Francisco 49ers feel like a lock to take a running back in the upcoming draft.
The range of outcomes for McCaffrey in 2025 is wide, in real life and fantasy football. A segment of his fantasy owners can easily consider trying to sell him before the draft, if only to avoid the value cliff that seems to be looming.
It's easy to credit the Niners' offensive success to head coach Kyle Shanahan, and there's evidence of how some unimpressive quarterbacks and running backs have been elevated by that structure and play-calling.
After being acquired from the Carolina Panthers, McCaffrey elevated Shanahan's system and produced like no running back has in said system.
Few running backs will be able to do what McCaffrey did at the level he did when he was younger and healthy.
But San Francisco can't allow much drop-off to occur, and a succession plan has to be in place.
Fantasy owners must hope 49ers invest in Christian McCaffrey succession plan
Eric Williams of FOX Sports recently matched running backs in the 2025 draft class with teams, and he matched the 49ers with Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo.
Skattebo is a well-rounded back, matching a hard-charging running style with refinement as a pass catcher and ample capability as a blocker. It's easy to see him as a worthy successor to McCaffrey.
With a fantasy tilt, Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report sees the 49ers as the ideal landing spot for Skattebo:
"Skattebo isn’t the fastest back in this class, or the most explosive. But he’s one of the most hard-charging backs in the class and can do just about everything well. The San Francisco 49ers already have a star back in Christian McCaffrey, but he will be 29 in June, is coming off an injury-ravaged 2024 campaign, and the questions start piling up quickly on the San Francisco depth chart behind him."
If McCaffrey stays healthy in 2025, an incoming rookie is not going to be lined up for enough work to be a consistent fantasy asset in re-draft leagues. But that is of course a big "if," and that incoming rookie could end up seeing notable work.
The Niners look like an ideal landing spot for Skattebo any way you slice it. It's easy to see back home in Northern California as the best place for him to become a fantasy star, once McCaffrey is out of the picture and a workhorse role in a good offense is available.