5 Christian McCaffrey replacements for fantasy football managers who whiff on Jordan Mason

Christian McCaffrey's fantasy football managers were hit with a surprise on Monday night when the San Francisco 49ers' star running back (and the No. 1 overall pick in the majority of drafts) was inactive against the New York Jets.

Of course those who drafted Jordan Mason as McCaffrey's handcuff, and saw the notification McCaffrey was inactive, were able to pivot and it paid off nicely (28 carries for 147 yards and a touchdown).

McCaffrey's status for Week 2 was immediately cast into doubt by a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter on Monday night. On Tuesday, Grant Cohn of SI.com had this news.

It seems like McCaffrey could play Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, but he has to be considered highly questionable. Even if he does play, Mason seems likely to get a good amount of work until further notice.

Mason goes to the top of the fantasy football waiver wire heap for Week 2, practically regardless of position. And he is fairly widely available as waivers get going for the week (37.4 percent rostered in ESPN leagues, 59 percent rostered in Yahoo! leagues as of this writing).

But what if you're a McCaffrey fantasy manager who didn't draft Mason, and you whiff on picking him up? Here are some fallback options.

J.K. Dobbins, Los Angeles Chargers

Dobbins had 10 carries for 135 yards and a touchdown in his Chargers' debut, along with three receptions. A split of early down work with Gus Edwards happened just as expected, but Dobbins' passing game usage was a differentiator.

The game script should favor the Chargers in Week 2 against the Carolina Panthers, leading to the running game being heavily featured. Overall, Dobbins has upside Edwards simply doesn't.

Dobbins is not as widely available as waiver wire hunters would like. But it's definitely worth checking to see if he's available, and if so he's the top priority add for those who'll be navigating McCaffrey's situation but don't get Mason.

Yahoo! Ownership: 51%
ESPN Ownership: 76.9%

Tank Bigsby, Jacksonville Jaguars

Travis Etienne significantly out-snapped Bigsby in Week 1 (37 to 17), but they had the same number of carries (12) and Bigsby outgained the Jaguars' lead back 73 to 44. Doug Pederson's offseason words about getting Bigsby more work came to fruition, however tilted after Etienne had a fumble deep in the red zone against the Dolphins.

It's unlikely to ever get close to being a 50-50 backfield split, and Etienne will keep the passing game work in any division of the workload. But Bigsby has made a strong case for more work as Etienne's sole backup, and the Jaguars shouldn't ignore that.

It'll be hard to plug Bigsby immediately into a fantasy lineup as anything more than a risk/reward flex. But he should be added in any league with at least 12 teams this week, even if it means stashing him on the bench. Etienne managers should consider him a must-add as the handcuff.

Yahoo! Ownership: 6%
ESPN Ownership: 4.6%

Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Irving paid off his preseason hype by cutting into Rachaad White's playing time in Week 1. The rookie also outgained White on the ground against Washington, 62 to 31, despite seeing six fewer carries (nine). White maintained the primary receiving role in the Buccaneers' backfield, with six catches for 75 yards, but Irving had two catches for 14 yards himself (on three targets).

There's a path for Irving to progressively take more work from White, and eventually be the lead guy in the tandem. It may take some time to happen, and his presence is lined up to be a hit to White's volume-driven fantasy value if nothing else.

Irving is a little more of a long-term play as a waiver wire add, in terms of becoming a lead back. But this is the week to get him, even if he just sits on the bench right away.

Yahoo! Ownership: 21%
ESPN Ownership: 20.7%

Jaleel McLaughlin, Denver Broncos

Javonte Williams got 12 more snaps than McLaughlin in Week 1. But McLaughlin had more carries (10, to eight for Williams), and had 15 touches to Williams' nine. 28 total yards on 15 touches is abysmal, and a lost fumble isn't ideal. But 15 touches, five targets and taking more early down work than expected from Williams (h/t to Pro Football Focus) is notable.

Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers will be a tough matchup for the Broncos' offense. After that it gets easier, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Jets and Las Vegas Raiders on the slate from Week 3-5. Looking at the whole picture, regardless of matchup, McLaughlin seems sure to be busy in the passing game with rookie quarterback Bo Nix's strong tendency to throw short passes carrying over from college to his first NFL start.

It's hard to get excited about the Broncos' offense, and backfield splits are annoying for fantasy managers. But McLaughlin wasn't drafted in enough leagues, and with some tilt toward PPR formats he's a top running back add this week.

Yahoo! Ownership: 37%
ESPN Ownership: 44.2%

Rico Dowdle, Dallas Cowboys

It was a pretty even snap split in the Cowboys' backfield between Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott in Week 1, with Elliott seeing four more snaps (32 to 28) and out-touching Dowdle12-9 with a rushing touchdown. The two basically rotated drives, seeing the majority of the snaps when it was their series to take the work.

It's definitely possible Dowdle starts to outperform Elliott, and any idea Dalvin Cook will become a fly in that ointment will have to be proven before it can be believed.

Dowdle's fantasy upside does not look great right now, in what could become a three-man committee. But if he can eventually separate himself from the shells of Elliott and Cook, even with Elliott as a goal line vulture, there's starter possibility here. That's worth a bench stash in leagues with 12 or more teams.

Yahoo! Ownership: 52%
ESPN Ownership: 39.4%