It’s unfair, really. If fair was a real thing.
Christian McCaffrey’s woeful injury history was so many seasons behind him that it didn’t even stick anymore when you taunted your 49er-fan friends about whatever was nagging him this pre-season.
You let your guard down.
Then you landed the first pick in a 16-team NFL snake draft.
Of course, you took the new age iron horse San Francisco running back first overall, which was the case in innumerable public leagues.
And then you watched every other high-end impact player vanish from your queue as the draft lumbered back to you.
Fair’s fair. You got McCaffrey. Oh, wait. Fair’s not a thing.
The case of Achilles tendonitis sidelining McCaffrey at least through Week 5 is a devastating development for fantasy league players worldwide. (Or at least one in each league) Those not quick enough to nab 49ers backup Jordan Mason woke up on Wednesday hoping that their Carson Steele or Braelon Allen waiver claim came through.
Sports is hard.
In the spirit of wallowing in it to get it all out, Gaming Today presents a pillory-worthy collection of five players who may have already ruined your fantasy league season or futures bet.
- Christian McCaffrey: At 28 and entering into what are usually the twilight seasons for running backs, McCaffrey was just too alluring to pass up coming off a 2023 campaign that boggled traditional and new-age statisticians. He’d averaged 21.1 points per game in 27 starts for San Francisco. He’d missed just one start in that span. And last season on ESPN’s fantasy site, 72.8% of playoff teams and 58.9% of those that reached their championship round had rostered him. Now, McCaffrey could pick up where he left off around Halloween … or Thanksgiving … or he could prove to be your Achilles … you know. As for the bettors, a McCaffrey Most Valuable Player future bet was priced at +4000 at DraftKings before the season began. Yes, the award has been won by a quarterback for 12 consecutive seasons, but McCaffrey was a finalist last year and certainly attracted some attention.
- Travis Kelce: Imagine the Kansas City tight end sitting there after the draft finally wound back to you after selecting McCaffrey. Certainly, he is a sunset fading over the midwestern prairie, but maybe a reprise of his Hall of Fame career could be concocted just one more time. Imagine sitting there on draft night, already skeptical about Kelce a consensus TE1 in average draft position and as high as 28th overall on many assessments. You could see this bleak future. But Sam Porta was gone. So you clicked that Kelce icon. Through two games, Kelse has destroyed his fantasy owners with a combined eight points with four receptions on seven targets. At least you were right the first time. Is there a trophy for that?
- Lamar Jackson: The defending MVP has been pedestrian so far this season. As a result, the Ravens are 0-2 and suddenly that Baltimore-over-Detroit-in-the-Super-Bowl wager at +7500 doesn’t feel like stealing money from Hard Rock Bet anymore. Certainly, one Isaiah Likely toe tuck would have rosied-up the purple prognosis, but losing to the Raiders at home? Wow. Jackson, a QB4 in ADP, had a solid fantasy week in the opener (25.12) but dipped to 16.38 against Las Vegas. Still, he has just two passing scores entering Week 3.
- Joe Burrow: The best quarterbacks in the AFC North are a combined 0-4. A week after being stunned at home by a New England team that’s better than advertised, the Bengals were on the path to .500 before a late pass-interference-fuel rally lifted the Chiefs to a 26-25 win. Burrow, fully healthy and an ADP QB7 after missing seven regular season games last season with torn ligaments in his wrist, could have been had for a reasonable +275 as NFL Comeback Player of the Year when the season, which was second-shortest only to Aaron Rodgers. (Burrow is +800 now for the double-downers). Speaking of double-downers, Burrow’s first two fantasy weeks have been lacking: a shocking 8.1 against the Patriots and a very some-guy-off-the-waiver wire 17.2 against the Chiefs.
About the Author
