Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) was limited in practice Wednesday, and Kyle Shanahan said McCaffrey experienced no pain from his workout Monday. He’s trending in the right direction to make his 2024 debut in Week 10 at Tampa Bay.

Fantasy managers are obviously going to start McCaffrey against the Buccaneers, who are No. 5 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. Tampa Bay has allowed six running backs to score at least 13.5 PPR points in the past four games alone, so McCaffrey has the chance to go off.

But can we expect McCaffrey to have a full workload in his first game back? I’d be cautious, and he’s probably going to share touches with either Jordan Mason or Isaac Guerendo, depending on Mason’s shoulder injury that bothered him prior to San Francisco’s bye in Week 9.

You should probably expect around 15 total touches for McCaffrey, who averaged 21 total touches a game in 2023, and the 49ers might ease him back with a lot of looks in the passing game. While that isn’t ideal for Fantasy managers who have waited patiently for McCaffrey to return, aren’t we just excited that he’s finally healthy?

I obviously have no idea what the 49ers plan is for McCaffrey this week. I’m going to start him if he’s active, and as you’ll read below, I will use Mason or Guerendo as a flex, depending on Mason’s health.

Let’s just hope this is the start of a strong finish for McCaffrey. As we know, when healthy, he’s the best running back in the NFL and a league-winner for Fantasy managers in all formats.