Christian McCaffrey
vs Brock Bowers

“If we could turn injuries off like in the Madden video game, McCaffrey would be the clear-cut 1.01 pick in every non-superflex draft.”

“Andrew Erickson’s Draft Landmines of 2026 Christian McCaffrey (RB – SF) Christian McCaffrey led the NFL with 413 touches in 2025 and reached 450 when including the playoffs.”

“Going as the RB3, roughly the eighth overall pick, McCaffrey is coming off a season that led all players in total touches. Historically, that’s a dangerous signal: over the last 13 years, only one running back who saw 400-plus touches in a season finished as a top-five back the next year, and running backs age 27 or older who led the league in touches have never finished top five the following season across six such occurrences.”

“He’s entering his age-30 season with a lot of miles on the tread. McCaffrey is absolutely capable of smashing, but he could also miss some games. Since 2020, he’s missed half the season or more three times.”

“In a full PPR format, CMC represents one of the few RBs in the league who really benefits from the extra bump per reception. McCaffrey had a whopping 102 receptions last season and could very well be one of the main receiving weapons in San Francisco again in 2026.”

“Christian McCaffrey | RB, San Francisco 49ers Heading into what will be his 10th season in the NFL, Christian McCaffrey is coming off another season of monstrous volume.”

“McCaffrey is coming off a season where he touched the ball 400+ times and finished all but one week of the season as a top-24 RB. The biggest “if” with CMC is his health, but when he is on the field, he is a fantasy league winner.”

“2 Something to note is that while Christian McCaffrey did not reach the total rushing attempts needed to hit this criterion last season, he did have 311 carries, along with 102 receptions, putting his total workload at a similar number.”

“The last time McCaffrey had over 400 touches in a year, the superstar missed 69.7% of the games over the next two seasons because of injury.”

“McCaffrey was the RB1 in points per game, scoring 2.5 points more than the RB2. Once again, the 49ers did very little to persuade us that they don’t believe in McCaffrey’s ability to be a workhorse, instead continuing their habit of talking up a later-round dart throw at the position, who’ll likely struggle to see any involvement.”

“IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Brock Bowers – 13 targets, 10 rec It did not take long for Bowers to remind the fantasy football world how dominant he can be when healthy. The 13 targets to him in his season debut accounted for a 43.3% target share. It was the tenth time in 30 career games that he has earned double-digit targets.”

“TE Quick Hitters Brock Bowers | TE, Las Vegas Raiders (QUESTIONABLE) – Bowers is officially questionable after getting in two limited practices to start the week and then not practicing Friday. The Raiders indicated that Bowers’ Friday absence was planned and not a setback. If Bowers is active, he has to be in your starting lineup.”

“The Raiders are 2-0 despite not having TE Brock Bowers available, which is amazing considering how thin their skill group is viewed as. Unfortunately, I have serious doubts about how sustainable all of this is. The teams the Raiders have played so far have combined to go 0-4 with a scoring differential of -60.”

“Coach Klint Kubiak confirmed Bowers will sit after a meniscus procedure, leaving Mayer as the clear TE1 for Kirk Cousins. When Mayer has been featured, he has produced at a starter's volume. He logged a 78.4% route participation rate, a 23.7% target share, a 26% target rate per route, 4.5 receptions per game, 49.0 receiving yards per game, 2.25 yards per route run, and 1 receiving touchdown without Bowers last year.”

“With an anemic wide receiver corps in Las Vegas, Bowers should be awash in targets this season. New head coach Klint Kubiak has been tasked with repairing the Raiders’ offense, and his track record suggests he can right the ship. No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza provides hope, while the Raiders also have tight end-friendly quarterback Kirk Cousins .”

“Round 3 Jason (3.01) – Brock Bowers (TE, LV) Mike (3.05) – Chris Olave (WR, NO) Andy (3.09) – D’Andre Swift (RB, CHI) Of course, Brock Bowers is really only a third-round pick in this mock draft in name only, as Jason waited to take him at the 3.01.”

“Widely considered one of the best TE prospects to ever enter the league, Bowers had 112 catches for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns on 153 targets as a rookie. With better health in 2026, he has a chance to match or exceed his rookie numbers. The Raiders are talent-starved at wide receiver, so Bowers is poised to be their alpha pass catcher.”

“There are great expectations for Brock Bowers in his third NFL season following an injury-plagued Year 2. Bowers had five catches for 103 yards in the Raiders’ 2025 season opener against the Patriots, but he sustained a PCL injury and bone bruise to his left knee in that game, was clearly hampered over his next three games (with under 50 receiving yards in each) and was shut down for three games.”

“Brock Bowers (TE – LV) & Trey McBride (TE – ARI) Whether you prefer Brock Bowers or Trey McBride doesn’t really matter. Neither should be drafted this high. Last season, McBride averaged 18.6 PPR points per game, and Bowers averaged 15.5 in 2024, the better season of his two years in the NFL.”