Will Christian McCaffrey Have Over or Under 7.5 Rushing Touchdowns in 2023?

Adding seven more games to give him a full season with the 49ers might just be enough to get him past that and then some.

Christian McCaffrey is the lead "do it all" player for the San Francisco 49ers.

That title no longer belongs to or gets associated with Kyle Juszczyk or Deebo Samuel as it will with McCaffrey. He is now the engine of the 49ers offense, which means he will be due for a sizeable share of the touchdowns. 

In his 11 games with the 49ers last season, McCaffrey accounted for six touchdowns and totaled eight on the year from his early season tenure with the Panthers. Racking up yards and touchdowns is his thing. That is why DraftKings sportsbook has set McCaffrey's over/under for touchdowns at a high number of 7.5. Adding seven more games to give him a full season with the 49ers might just be enough to get him past that and then some.

So, will McCaffrey have over or under 7.5 rushing touchdowns in 2023?

It's pretty tough not to take the over with McCaffrey. He managed to get six touchdowns in just 10 games started with the 49ers. Now he is getting a full season where he is more embedded in the offense along with having more games to produce. He has the capability of ripping off a chunk gain for a score, or Kyle Shanahan will simply give him the call when it is a goal line situation. 

Where I think McCaffrey might struggle in getting to eight touchdowns at least in 2023 is the aspect of his receiving ability. He's so fierce in that department that he can see his touchdowns skewed towards as a receiver than he will as a runner. Not to mention the competition around him. In the running game Shanahan could choose to go with Elijah Mitchell or Jordan Mason at times. Even Deebo Samuel is still in the mix there. In the receiving game there is George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, and Jauan Jennings. 

There are way too many mouths to feed, and in redzone scenarios sometimes the situations will demand the ball to go where the defense isn't expecting. That is what makes the 49ers offense so great is that they can attack in many ways with so many players. If I put an exact number on McCaffrey's rushing touchdowns, I think he gets right at 9, so he'll just edge that over/under number if he can remain healthy.