Christian McCaffrey expected to play around 20 snaps in his 49ers debut, per report

Christian McCaffrey will make his San Francisco 49ers debut on Sunday, and it appears that he will be fairly involved in the proceedings. 

According to FOX Sports, McCaffrey has been schooling on the game plan and is expected to play around 20 snaps, though he could play more depending on how things go. A previous report from ESPN indicated that the Niners had a package of plays prepared for McCaffrey, who was acquired on Thursday in a trade from the Carolina Panthers.

Whatever the snap volume, McCaffrey seems likely to be used in high-leverage situations. His pass-catching skill set is what differentiates him from other running backs on San Francisco’s roster, so he seems more likely to be used in those situations than on plays where he gets handed the ball in a similar manner to Jeff Wilson. 

The versatility McCaffrey affords San Francisco also lends itself to creative packages in his debut, perhaps with McCaffrey aligning in the slot or out wide while Deebo Samuel is in the backfield. It’s possible that the attention devoted to him in those alignments opens things up underneath for Samuel, Aiyuk, and George Kittle.

McCaffrey should also see some red zone usage, where the Niners can take advantage of the unpredictability that comes with his presence in the backfield. San Francisco has gotten plenty creative in scoring range in the past, and adding McCaffrey to the mix should allow Kyle Shanahan to devise even more unique ways of getting his playmakers the ball in open space.