{"id":148416,"date":"2025-08-15T17:57:09","date_gmt":"2025-08-15T17:57:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/148416\/"},"modified":"2025-08-15T17:57:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-15T17:57:09","slug":"christian-mccaffrey-rashee-rice-and-the-fantasy-football-implications-of-the-latest-nfl-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/148416\/","title":{"rendered":"Christian McCaffrey, Rashee Rice and the fantasy football implications of the latest NFL news"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Athletic has live coverage from Friday\u2019s preseason NFL action.<\/a><\/p>\n

Just as we all expected, the final two healthy players in the San Francisco 49ers\u2019 training camp are Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle \u2014 legendary iron men.<\/p>\n

Pretty much every other offensive skill player on the Niners is either currently injured or has recently recovered from some vaguely worrisome injury.<\/p>\n

Jauan Jennings is dealing with a calf issue and a contract staredown. Isaac Guerendo (shoulder) and Jordan James (finger) are both dinged, and Ameer Abdullah (ribs) was placed on injured reserve. Standout rookie Jordan Watkins has a high-ankle sprain. Ricky Pearsall recently returned from hamstring trouble. We won\u2019t see Brandon Aiyuk (knee) until perhaps mid-October.<\/p>\n

As ever, head coach Kyle Shanahan\u2019s camp is a wild carnival of pain and misinformation. Truly, it\u2019s one of the NFL\u2019s greatest traditions.<\/p>\n

However, let\u2019s circle back to McCaffrey because all the news and notes related to him have been exactly what we like to see: infrequent and generally positive.<\/p>\n

Refreshingly, CMC has enjoyed a normal offseason. Reporters covering the team have clearly been impressed<\/a>. When the occasional camp clip hits the feed, McCaffrey again looks superhuman:<\/p>\n

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CMC is unreal \ud83e\udd2f pic.twitter.com\/JbB8fjFfLO<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) July 29, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

You should, of course, still be slightly terrified to draft a 29-year-old running back coming off a season in which he appeared in only four games. I won\u2019t try to convince you that the risk has simply evaporated.<\/p>\n

Still, with every uninjured day, we can feel a bit more confident in a running back who was a golden ticket to the fantasy playoffs in 2023. McCaffrey\u2019s name is near the top of the very short list of players who can legitimately finish as the overall RB1 in 2025.<\/p>\n

Understandably, CMC has been one of the more significant ADP risers in NFC leagues since the calendar flipped to August. We don\u2019t need to speculate on whether he can be a league-winner because we\u2019ve already seen it happen in multiple seasons.<\/p>\n

Thursday was simply an incredible day for NFL conspiratorialists<\/p>\n

If you are the sort of NFL fan who believes the league is rigged in favor of the Kansas City Chiefs, one of its smallest markets \u2026 well, you are hilarious.<\/p>\n

Also, yesterday must have been absolutely magical for you.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, news broke that Rashee Rice\u2019s disciplinary hearing will not be held until September 30, four weeks into the season. Rice will therefore be eligible to play in two of KC\u2019s most challenging and exciting matchups, versus the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens, as well as a pair of island games against the Los Angeles Chargers and New York Giants.<\/p>\n

So there it is, the smoking gun of Chiefs favoritism and exceptionalism. Again, congrats to all conspiracy-minded fans. What. A. Day.<\/p>\n

In fantasy, this Rice news is not as rosy as it might ostensibly seem. On the one hand, he will be available in September, which is undeniably helpful. But we now face a somewhat more challenging roster management situation, because there\u2019s a decent chance Rice will face suspension at some point during the season. The easiest time to deal with a multi-week absence is actually in the opening four weeks, when your roster is at its healthiest and the byes have not yet begun.<\/p>\n

Good luck managing a potential suspension of four to six weeks while navigating the usual injuries and byes of October and November.<\/p>\n

Thursday\u2019s news doesn\u2019t necessarily change the projection for Rice in the season ahead, but it does make him even more an agent of chaos and disruption. If you enter Week 7 with a 2-4 record and a suspended Rice on the roster, you should look to trade him.<\/p>\n

Adonai Mitchell is still feasting<\/p>\n

Every day, a new camp clip drops featuring Mitchell. You love to see a second-year breakout candidate making plays like this:<\/p>\n

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AD Mitchell, the showman pic.twitter.com\/in7rjI4KBG<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Kevin Bowen (@KBowen1070) August 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

But, um, yikes \u2014 that is not a well-thrown ball.<\/p>\n

The Indianapolis Colts\u2019 camp is full of summer heroes, but we must remember Andrew Luck ain\u2019t walking through that door. Daniel Jones is still Daniel Jones, and Anthony Richardson is coming off a season in which he averaged just 11.5 completions per game.<\/p>\n

The Quinshon Judkins situation takes yet another turn<\/p>\n

According to multiple reports on Thursday, Judkins will not face formal charges<\/a> related to his July arrest for battery and domestic violence. It always feels terrible to reduce a situation like this to something as trivial as fantasy advice, but here we are.<\/p>\n

Judkins had previously been toxic in drafts, but that will no longer be the case. He\u2019s not yet under contract with the Cleveland Browns or entirely clear of league discipline, plus he hasn\u2019t yet practiced with the team. Let\u2019s not assume he\u2019s just days away from taking over the Cleveland backfield. However, he\u2019s a talented runner drafted as a foundational piece of this dreadful team\u2019s offense. Judkins has certainly reentered the RB3\/4 conversation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Rome Odunze, Colston Loveland shining in Bears camp<\/p>\n

It\u2019s more than a drumbeat with these two. It\u2019s the whole percussion section and all the weird stuff, too \u2014 gongs, cymbals, cowbells, etc.<\/p>\n

Not a day goes by without tweets like these from beat writers:<\/p>\n

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Colston Loveland with a touchdown in 7 on 7s. Throw came from Tyson Bagent.<\/p>\n

Loveland continues to impress this camp.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Greg Braggs Jr. (@GBraggsJr23) August 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Good day for Caleb Williams today. He was sharp out there. Connected with Rome Odunze a good amount, including two big plays in a 2-minute drill. #Bears<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) August 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Odunze and Loveland have already graduated from sleepers to must-draft breakouts, and the Chicago Bears haven\u2019t even played their second preseason game. In another week, we might be drafting Odunze as a WR2.<\/p>\n

No one wants to hear nice things about Trevor Lawrence, but\u2026<\/p>\n

Fantasy\u2019s favorite target for derision and ridicule has been cooking in practice sessions<\/a>. Lawrence might be the least generational of all the generational quarterbacks, but he has, nonetheless, been producing highlight plays in the Jacksonville Jaguars\u2019 camp. He\u2019s also the guy who gets to lob passes to Brian Thomas, Travis Hunter and sleeper Brenton Strange while operating in Liam Coen\u2019s offense, so it\u2019s tough to find fault with his situation.<\/p>\n

If you can open your heart once more to a somehow-still-25-year-old quarterback with elite weapons and a weapons-grade arm, consider giving Lawrence one last chance.<\/p>\n

ICYMI: Jacksonville\u2019s Cam Little drilled a field goal from another dimension<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just look at this absolute bomb:<\/p>\n

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CAM LITTLE 70-YARD FIELD GOAL<\/p>\n

Stream on @NFLPlus<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/OCIZ1W5M5f<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NFL (@NFL) August 10, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Goodness. That was majestic.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve been reading Jake Ciely\u2019s summer-long series on the top-50 kickers for 2025, then you already know about Little. In fact, Jake was all over him after his sensational first year at Arkansas in 2021. Yet another tremendous call by Ciely, the GOAT kicker analyst<\/a>.<\/p>\n

(Photo of Christian McCaffrey: D. Ross Cameron \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n