Everything that happens within the NFL has some supporting context when considered from the point of view of fictional football. From field fights to injuries and much more, the internal cycle of the track will constantly affect the values of the players in fictional football.
Our fictional football history, with contributions from our ESPN fiction writers and our NFL Society sleuths, aims to give fictional managers the information they need as information spreads in the NFL.
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RB Christian McCaffrey could return via past 10
Eric Moody: 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan plans to show McCaffrey’s 21-day return window on Nov. 4, which is good news for fictional managers who were blindsided by his Achilles tendonitis diagnosis in September. Recent experience points to Past 10 as McCaffrey’s likely return to life, but there is an expectation that the 49ers will keep him out longer if McCaffrey can’t. Fictional managers should also keep this in mind: The 49ers’ priority is winning a Super Bowl, not a fictional championship. So expect the team to get the warning wrong with CMC, as it has all season.
Jordan Mason has helped weather the hurricane situation that McCaffrey has been out in, rushing for 685 yards and three touchdowns, but he’s been dealing with shoulder trauma over the past few weeks and aggravated it again on Sunday against the Cowboys. Speedy rookie Isaac Guerendo has also taken a step forward, even reaching the top zone against Dallas. On the other hand, if McCaffrey returns, many of the touches will likely advance CMC’s approach: McCaffrey has averaged 20.4 per sport since joining the 49ers. Mason or Guerendo will most likely move as change-of-pace options.
At his prime, our own Matt Bowen listed McCaffrey as one of his favorite industry targets for fiction directors. ESPN+ subscribers can click here to learn more about that and the Bowen government’s alternative industry goals.
