The San Francisco 49ers running backs Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason landed on the injured reserve following the team’s 35-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills, which means Isaac Guerendo could be a fantasy football league-winner. The 49ers already ruled McCaffrey out for the remainder of the season, and while Mason could technically return for Week 18, most fantasy football leagues are already over by then. Guerendo is all alone in this backfield and is perhaps the most interesting player in fantasy football.
Historically speaking, Kyle Shanahan’s starting running back has always been one of the most valuable assets in fantasy football. Isaac Guerendo has a clear path to the field, but how much can you trust the rookie fourth-round pick down the stretch?
Fantasy Football: Isaac Guerendo Outlook Following Christian McCaffrey, Jordan Mason Injuries
Projected Workload
Throughout his time with the San Francisco 49ers, head coach Kyle Shanahan has historically preferred to use a single running back as the focal point of his offense. While elite players like Christian McCaffrey demand a high workload regardless of coaching tendencies, we’ve seen Shanahan use a featured back even with lesser talent on the roster. For example, Jordan Mason looked like the biggest steal in fantasy early in the season while filling in for the injured McCaffrey. While he couldn’t maintain his pace throughout the season, the overlooked undrafted free agent had three top-12 finishes in the first four weeks of the season while recording at least 20 touches in each contest.
Mason’s success is not an isolated incident. Back in 2021, rookie Elijah Mitchell finished as the RB24 despite playing in just 11 games. Fellow unremarkable talents like Matt Breida, Raheem Mostert, and Jeff Wilson had their moments in Shanahan’s scheme, so Isaac Guerendo should see a similar workload. The rookie has performed well in small doses, averaging 5.9 yards per carry on the season while posting an impressive 3.26 yards created per touch. Only time will tell if he can maintain this efficiency over a large sample, but Shanahan will allow the running back to prove himself.
Seeing as he’s the last running back on the roster with more than 10 carries, it’s safe to assume the 49ers will sign a free agent to complement Isaac Guerendo. However, it’s hard to imagine a washed-up veteran like Leonard Fournette eating into Guerendo’s workload. This is the rookie’s starting job to lose, the only question is how he’ll perform with the added workload.
Isaac Guerendo Rest of Season
The San Francisco 49ers close out their season with games against the Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions, and Arizona Cardinals. Since most fantasy leagues are over by Week 18, we’ll ignore the regular season finale against Arizona and instead focus on the other four matchups. On paper, these are mostly favorable matchups, as the Bears, Rams, and Dolphins all rank within the bottom 12 in terms of points allowed to running backs. The Lions, however, allow the third-fewest points to running backs, which is especially problematic since Week 17 is the fantasy finals for most leagues.
The silver lining is that Isaac Guerendo should perform well enough to help you get to the fantasy football finals. If he looks like the real deal and is seeing a large workload, you could play him as a mid-level RB2 against an elite Lions defense. However, if he doesn’t make the most of his opportunities against lesser teams and you still make your way to the championship, you should probably pivot against this difficult matchup.
Main Photo: Gregory Fisher – USA Today Sports
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