Fantasy football owners who had hoped that San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey would help them to a comeback victory on Monday Night Football were dealt a brutal blow about 90 minutes before kickoff at Levi’s Stadium.
McCaffrey, who battled a calf and Achilles injury during the preseason, was ruled out for the Week 1 game against the New York Jets. McCaffrey was considered the best Week 1 running back in both the ESPN and Yahoo leagues.
However, the managers’ anger grew even more after the game when Jordan Mason, the 49ers’ backup running back, told ESPN’s Lisa Salters that he had learned he would be in the starting lineup on Friday.
“When did I find out?” Mason told Salters during the on-field interview. “Maybe Friday, Friday night. You know, something like that.”
McCaffrey was listed as questionable on Friday’s injury report. If the 49ers failed to disclose the full extent of McCaffrey’s status, San Francisco could face disciplinary action from the league.
When 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and Mason himself spoke to the media after the game, they contradicted the original interview. Shanahan called it a “game-time decision” to sit McCaffrey out.
“I never told Jordan he was going to start,” Shanahan told reporters when asked about Mason’s comment, according to the 49ers. “I told him he had to prepare a lot, but that might have been Bobby or somebody else trying to pump him up. I knew he had to play a lot. I told him he had to do that — it wasn’t going to be the same as usual. He was going to be a No. 2 running back splitting most of the time. But he didn’t know for sure he was going to do that until today.”
Shanahan added: “We just found out he (McCaffrey) isn’t playing today. … Until today, I thought he was going to play all week.”
Mason hinted at frustration during his post-match press conference when asked again when he found out he was going to start.
“That question is exactly why I’m angry,” Mason told reporters, according to Sporting News. “That’s why I don’t like talking to the media, because you say something wrong and then, you know – I don’t know. Just skip that question.”
Managers who placed McCaffrey on the injured list at the last minute and claimed Mason off waivers might feel a little better Tuesday morning. The third-year running back managed 28 carries for 147 yards and a touchdown.
Shanahan said he did not know what would happen next with McCaffrey.
