Christian McCaffrey’s value cannot be measured by a position. When No. 23 is on the field and lined up anywhere other than a traditional running back, you can guarantee there are four sets of eyes on him.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has used McCaffrey’s gravitational pull to his advantage. So when we talk about whether McCaffrey’s workload is too much — 42 carries through two games, when he’s sparingly coming off the field — it’s difficult to blame the coaching staff for not leaning on their best player, whether he has the ball or not.