Why this 49ers player could explode in fantasy football vs. Arizona

The Cardinals' defense will have a tough time shutting down this player.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones (10) calls for the ball against the New Orleans Saints during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The San Francisco 49ers have been leaning on Christian McCaffrey early in the season. The star running back has 17.5 rushes per game through two weeks and has added 8.5 targets per game. His total of 26 looks per game has resulted in him leading the team in rushing and being second in receiving on the 49ers. 

Will Christian McCaffrey have his best game against Arizona Cardinals?

McCaffrey enters the week as the number three fantasy football running back, but Joel Smyth of Yahoo Sports has a bold prediction that may lead to McCaffrey ascending to top running back status. He predicts McCaffrey posts 30+ fantasy points. 

Christian McCaffrey is back to doing Christian McCaffrey things to start the season. In terms of volume based on expected fantasy points, McCaffrey leads all running backs, with the second-best RB being 15% lower. He has not had that classic ceiling performance yet, but he has an insurmountable history versus Jonathan Gannon’s Cardinals. In his last two games versus Gannon’s defense, he has averaged 45 PPG, with 40+ points in each contest. With only six other 40+ point RB performances since 2023 in total, I’ll predict a modest 30+ for CMC in Week 3 as we see his volume pay off in full.

Joel Smyth

To be fair to Jonathan Gannon, McCaffrey did not play last season, and 2023 was Year 1 of a rebuild for the head coach. He was changing a lot; he did not have any of his players, and the team was much worse when McCaffrey had seven touchdowns in two games. They looked much better last season. 

Still, if the Cardinals' defense can be beaten, it may be in the running game. The Cardinals boast a talented pass rush, but they are a bit thin up front. They also have not been tested on the ground quite yet. 

Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Alvin Kamara averaged over four yards per carry against Arizona, but the New Orleans Saints got down 20-10 in the third quarter and left the run behind. Arizona got up early on Carolina due to two early fumbles by Bryce Young, and the team got away from the run as well. 

The Cardinals lean on playing extra safeties because they are pretty weak at linebacker. Kyle Shanahan is the king of getting the extra linebacker on the field and then getting that player matched up with the worst option possible. It seems like it would be an advantage for San Francisco to play Luke Farrell and Jake Tonges and force Arizona to take their extra safeties off the field. If Arizona does, they can throw to McCaffrey against their weak linebackers. 

If Arizona stays small, which they tend to do, San Francisco should be able to run the ball consistently. Both options lead to McCaffrey getting a lot of work and being in a position to succeed. The team is in a must-win game, and with injuries at other spots, they have to feed their star player to get out of this one with a win. It is not a bad choice to predict an explosive game from McCaffrey.