Christian McCaffrey is Worn Down

Christian McCaffrey needs a break.

Give him credit for playing through a slightly torn oblique on Sunday during the 49ers' loss to the Vikings -- he's a tough running back. He always wants to play.

But that doesn't mean the 49ers need to use him as much as they have this season. Sometimes, the 49ers need to save McCaffrey from himself. Because he's completely out of gas and it's not even November.

The first four weeks of the season, the 49ers gave him a whopping 80 carries, and he gained 459 yards, meaning he averaged 5.7 yards per carry. He was dominant, and he led the NFL in touches at that point. The 49ers made him carry them. But McCaffrey isn't built to carry an entire offense -- he's a scat back. He should be in a rotation. The Panthers made him carry the load in 2019, and he missed 22 games the next two seasons. The 49ers are flirting with disaster.

The past three games, McCaffrey has carried the ball 45 times and gained 139 yards on the ground. Which means he's averaging a mere 3.1 yards per carry since Week 5. He looks completely exhausted, a shell of the runner he was the first four weeks of the season.

The 49ers need to reduce McCaffrey's workload and pace him for the playoffs. Because if he's not effective in the postseason, the 49ers won't go anywhere. It's time for them to use their backup running back, Jordan Mason, who's averaging 5.6 yards per carry this season. Mason and McCaffrey would make the best tandem in the league if the 49ers would use them in tandem.