As we move into June, the 2026 NFL Organized Team Activities (OTAs) are underway, marking Phase 3 of the offseason workout program that began last month. These voluntary, non-contact sessions include 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills meant to prepare players for training camp in late July. Mandatory minicamps that follow in mid-June add to that preparation.
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For fantasy investors, it's time to start watching the Footballguys Newsfeed to identify and stay on top of the drumbeats that will inform our draft values later this summer. That means looking past the hyperbolic headlines and reporting that's often far more definitive than the actual information suggests.
It's time to read between the lines and figure out what's worth believing, and what isn't.
On Monday, we got the ball rolling with a look at Jahmyr Gibbs' anticipated workload. Yesterday, it was Saquon Barkley dealing with a new scheme in Philly. Today, we'll head to San Francisco, where . . .
The Niners are Talking About Dialing Back on McCaffrey
Coming off an injury-ravaged 2024, Christian McCaffrey won the 2025 NFL Comeback Player of the Year after a 2025 campaign that included 2,126 scrimmage yards -- 35.6 percent of San Francisco's 5,974-yard offensive output -- and 17 touchdowns.
McCaffrey's 2025 workload wasn't just impressive. It was historically heavy.
He carried 311 times for 1,202 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. He caught 102 passes for 924 yards and seven more scores. He eclipsed 2,000 scrimmage yards for the third time in his career. He ranked second in the NFL in scrimmage yards, third in scrimmage touchdowns, and first in touches -- his 413 total opportunities led the league by a wide margin.
The next closest player had 369.
The 49ers targeted him 129 times, the second most of his career. He played 932 offensive snaps -- 83 percent of San Francisco's total. Both were career highs since 2019.
Headline: 49ers | McCaffrey to see lessened workload in 2026? | Wed., May 27
Kyle Shanahan thinks it was too much. "Last year was the worst we had been at it," the coach said of managing McCaffrey's workload.
There are legitimate concerns.
Since 2010, running backs logging 400-plus touches have averaged just 12.7 games the following year. The median is 15, but high-profile situations -- including McCaffrey himself in 2020 and 2024 -- skew the results toward missed time.
Exceptions exist. LaDainian Tomlinson hit the 400-touch mark three times between ages 22 and 30 and missed only three games total. Emmitt Smith did it four times in five years with similar durability. Curtis Martin set a career rushing high at age 31 after a heavy-touch career.
Those aren't the norm.
So, as 49ersWebZone's David Bonilla suggests, McCaffrey could have his touches managed more in 2026 to keep him fresher.
We've Heard This Before
In 2023, Shanahan said similar things -- and McCaffrey finished with a league-high 339 touches, a league-high 2,023 scrimmage yards, and a league-high 21 all-purpose touchdowns. The Niners made the Super Bowl. McCaffrey won Offensive Player of the Year.
The problem is the same now as it was then.
The drop-off from McCaffrey to the next-best option on the roster is steep. After losing veteran Brian Robinson Jr. to the Falcons in free agency, the Niners drafted Indiana running back Kaelon Black in the third round. He joins Jordan James, Isaac Guerendo, and Patrick Taylor Jr. on the depth chart.
But that group has already taken a hit with Shanahan announcing last week that Guerendo will be out for a bit after tearing a pectoral muscle while weightlifting.
Whatever the case, Shanahan has been more emphatic than ever about helping McCaffrey, who will turn 30 on June 7, find additional breathers.