Having a San Francisco 49ers player on your fantasy roster is usually a recipe for success. However, in the case of Jordan Mason’s fantasy value, you must look at what he can bring to the table for fantasy football and your roster this year. Mason was named the backup to Christian McCaffrey after Elijah Mitchell was reported injured for the season.
Now, we must correctly identify if the handcuff to the best running back in the league can provide upside if he sees the field or if the 49ers will ultimately be up the creek without a paddle at the running back position if Mason is ever to become the starter. Let’s break down this handcuff running back and see what he can add to our teams.
Should Jordan Mason Be Added on the Fantasy Waiver Wire in Week 1
Picking up Mason is long-term storytelling at its finest. Fantasy football is all about correctly identifying the correct game narrative each week. Still, with a roster addition like Mason, you must widen the lens and look through the entire year to see his fantasy value.
If you pick up Mason, you must know you won’t receive any upside in Week One. Unless you see an injury to McCaffrey, you won’t see over five points from Mason in most weeks. It’s hard to tell what Mason can do when you look at his TruMedia stats, as he only received 40 total carries last season. He turned those carries into the 66th-highest total rushing yards with 206 yards. Does that mean we need to move on from Mason?
Not so fast here; we can’t be hasty because Mason had some moments to shine. In those 40 carries, he did deliver three touchdowns, giving us the second-best Rsh/TD rate of 13.33. Mason also gave us the fourth-best yards per rush, with a total of 5.2.
This particular stat is essential because the only players above him were Jaylen Warren and his cohort, McCaffrey. Since McCaffrey and Mason both produce within this offense, we realize that this run-blocking scheme can make fantasy football production regardless of who enters the backfield.
You should not waste your waiver wire in week one on Mason. The only great outcome for this player to elevate within your roster is from injury. That’s why Mason is low within our rankings; you need too many variables to occur to receive your reward in his fantasy value.
We have a caveat about when you should pick him up. Let’s say you have someone on the IL, for example, Nick Chubb. You place Chubb on the IL, and you go pick up Mason. You do not cheer for an injury to McCaffrey, but if it did happen, you would be a step ahead of the rest of your league.
These moves within your roster help you win weekly and stay at the head of the table within your league, giving you the best chance to win. Mason is only 27% rostered this season, so you should be able to implement this roster strategy quickly in most of your leagues.