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All indications reportedly suggest the NFL is not investigating the San Francisco 49ers over their handling of running back Christian McCaffrey’s injury, which kept him out of Monday’s win over the New York Jets.
It was revealed hours before kickoff that McCaffrey would be sidelined with a calf/Achilles injury, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk noted fill-in starter Jordan Mason said after the game he learned he was starting Friday. That raised questions, although an NFL spokesperson told Florio the league declined to comment on the situation.
With that as the backdrop, Matt Barrows and Amos Morale III of The Athletic reported Tuesday “there’s no indication the league has opened any formal investigation” into the situation.
McCaffrey was deemed questionable throughout the week, so the situation certainly didn’t arise out of nowhere.
Still, it was a surprise to see him inactive so close to game time and surely sent shockwaves around the fantasy and gambling communities. And with the NFL’s popularity so directly tied to the prevalence of fantasy football and gambling, the consternation led to headlines and inquiries into whether the 49ers would be investigated.
It was a less-than-ideal situation for fantasy football managers who were relying on McCaffrey in the week’s final game, as the vast majority of running backs were already done. Perhaps some fortunate ones were able to pick up Mason off the waiver wire, but many were likely left staring at a loss.
Fortunately for the 49ers, they escaped Monday’s game with a win.
Mason is a major reason why, as he ran for 147 yards and one touchdown on 28 carries in an impressive performance that suggested he could be featured in the team’s rotation even when McCaffrey is back and healthy.
San Francisco also relied on the versatile Deebo Samuel to make plays on the ground, as he finished with eight carries for 23 yards and a touchdown to go with his five catches for 54 yards.
It seems like McCaffrey won’t miss much time either, as head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters, “I definitely believe if it was a playoff game he would have played.”
Ultimately, it appears as if the 49ers emerged from the situation with a win, no significant long-term concerns for the star running back and not having to worry about a league investigation.
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