Rich Presents Further Proof That 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan Does NOT Care about Your Fantasy Team

The Vikings are 5-0 and the Chiefs are 4-0, but according to Rich, no team in the NFL is in better shape right now than the San Francisco 49ers. That's saying something, considering they have injuries galore.

How are they doing it? "In the same way that Philadelphia is used to operating under chaos, the Niners are used to operating under attrition," Rich said. "And they are set."

Set, in Rich's breakdown, means a lot of things. The 49ers are 5-0 and 3-0 in the division, with two of those wins coming on the road against their two toughest opponents. The game in Australia counted as a Rams home game, so the Niners' only remaining trip to SoFi Stadium this year is a Week 15 Thursday night game against the Chargers on Amazon Prime. They'd certainly like another trip there, since that's where the Super Bowl is being played.

They're currently two games up on the 3-2 Seahawks and three up on the 2-3 Rams, effectively two and a half and three and a half because the Niners hold both tiebreakers. Seattle and the Rams can even those out with return visits to San Francisco, Seattle in Week 12 and the Rams in Week 14. Between now and then, the Niners will get healthier.

Here's the part fantasy managers won't love. The 49ers are not putting it all on Christian McCaffrey's shoulders, legs and hands. Rich ran the numbers. Last season, McCaffrey averaged 18 carries, eight targets, six catches and 24 touches per game, which ranked first in the NFL. This year, he's down six carries, three targets, two catches and eight touches per game, which now ranks him 20th.

"Note to all, Kyle Shanahan, John Lynch do not care about your fantasy team," Rich said.

The Niners are giving touches to Kaelon Black out of Indiana, and Rich sees a deliberate long game. This is McCaffrey's first season as a 30-year-old, and the reduced load might be what Rich called "the McCaffrey dotage usage plan." They're 5-0 with it, and they're doing it without a lot of other players lost to injury. "They are not risking the, if you will, Christian McCaffrey showing up by using him too much," he said.

The studio felt it personally. One McCaffrey manager in the room noted he's scored 77.2 points through five games against a projection of 83.2, and someone else spent 900 FAAB dollars on him in a guillotine league. Rich sympathized, but only to a point. McCaffrey still has five touchdowns in five games. "So you're still getting points out of him in reality football while not overtaxing him," Rich said. The room agreed it's genius. And as Rich pointed out, Black wouldn't be getting this work if he weren't performing. "Indiana sends good football players to the next level," Rich said.

The roster around them helps too. George Kittle being back is a big deal. Rich ran through Hall of Fame caliber talent at running back, tight end, left tackle, middle linebacker and wide receiver, a Pro Bowler at quarterback, a Pro Bowler at defensive end if he stays healthy, and a brilliant head coach who brought in Raheem Morris as defensive coordinator. Morris knows the Rams, knows how to run a defense, and players love playing for him. Mike Evans is already doing what he was brought in to do, playing hurt, and Fred Warner described him as a walking aura.

The schedule doesn't look scary either. Next up is Washington at home on Monday night, a team Rich said couldn't tie its own shoes and wound up tying its own record, which also gives the Niners an extra day of rest. Then comes a trip to Atlanta and a bye, followed by Vegas at home and a visit to Dallas. The big test is Week 11 in Mexico City against Minnesota, then Seattle at home, the Giants on the road, the Rams at home, the Chargers on a short week, a mini bye, Kansas City on the road, Philadelphia at home and Arizona on the road.

Five weeks in, they're 5-0, they're managing their most valuable offensive player, and they're still undefeated without him carrying the whole load. "They are set," Rich said.