The plethora of injuries plaguing the San Francisco 49ers might be impossible for any team to overcome. From the wide receiver group to the defense, and even the quarterback, the team is spread thin virtually everywhere.
But they’ve managed to jump out to a 5-2 start, in large part due to the excellence from their superstar running back, Christian McCaffrey. But in Week 8, he’s off to a slow start.
What Happened to Christian McCaffrey?
After missing virtually the entire 2024 campaign, McCaffrey was arguably the biggest question mark on the San Francisco roster. However, through seven weeks, he has somehow been the one silver lining for the entire squad.
He has been a legitimate one-man wrecking crew, leading the 49ers in rushing and receiving, as he kept the team afloat. But in Week 8, the first half was a different story. McCaffrey had just two carries worth eight yards, while failing to record a reception on either of his two targets.
Christian McCaffrey did not touch the ball in the first quarter. pic.twitter.com/OR7Sdi4pAA
— Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) October 26, 2025
The 49ers’ offense didn’t have much to write home about, as they totaled just 65 yards of total offense in the period. As the Houston Texans dominated en route to a 16-7 start, the second-ranked defense on PFSN’s Defense Impact was on full display.
It wasn’t really McCaffrey’s fault, as the Texans dominated the time of possession in the first half, controlling the ball for 24 minutes as opposed to six minutes for the Niners.
As things currently stand, CMC ranks 13th in PFSN’s RB Impact metric, with 516 receiving yards and three touchdowns through the air, alongside 465 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground as well.
Christian McCaffrey has 8 total yards and 0 receptions at halftime pic.twitter.com/mQEDzG1kah
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) October 26, 2025
If the 49ers want to make the game even remotely competitive in the second half, then they’ll need to make McCaffrey a bigger staple of the offense, or risk falling behind in the NFC West.
In the second half, he was a little more involved in proceedings, as he finished the game with eight total carries worth 25 yards, and caught three of his six targets for 43 yards. But it was ultimately far from enough, as Houston walked away with a 26-15 victory.
McCaffrey’s Fantasy Outlook in the Second Half
It’s been a challenging first half for the 49ers’ offense, which has limited McCafrrey’s usage. There’s no real concern here. They’ve barely had the ball.
Expect San Francisco to play much better in the second half. They can’t play much worse. George Kittle’s late second-quarter touchdown keeps the game script from getting too negative.
Although, game script doesn’t really matter for CMC. He’ll just catch more passes if that’s the case.
While fantasy managers have some PTSD when it comes to McCaffrey (and understandably so), this isn’t a situation that’s any cause for concern — it’s much more about San Francisco’s offensive struggles as a whole than any kind of injury to the superstar running back.
Rigged
This was posted 30 minutes ago and it’s still the first half.