NFC West

The Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers surprised the football world by completing a trade for star running back Christian McCaffrey on Thursday night.

With the deal, the Panthers added a substantial haul of draft picks for 2023 and beyond, and now, their draft inventory looks like this:

The 49ers, on the other hand, don't have much draft capital next year after going all-in to land a two-time All-Pro running back:

In the official announcement of the trade, Panthers team reporter Darin Gantt wrote that the team is "adding draft inventory for the offseason as they look to build on a core of young players on defense." Carolina has selected a defensive player in the first round in three out of the last four drafts.

At 1-5, the Panthers look like the worst team in the NFL through the first six weeks of the 2022 season. The team fired former head coach Matt Rhule after a blowout loss to the 49ers in Week 5. Carolina also traded disgruntled wide receiver Robby Anderson to the Arizona Cardinals after he had a sideline confrontation with coaches in the middle of a game.

The move to trade McCaffrey continues the Panthers' transition to a rebuild. Carolina has a pair of quarterbacks who aren't signed beyond this season in Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold, both of whom are playing this year on their fifth-year options. Mayfield has struggled as the team's starter, while Darnold returned to practice this week after suffering an ankle injury in the preseason finale.

As for the 49ers, they are in full win-now mode. San Francisco has made deep postseason runs in each of its last two playoff appearances but fell short of its ultimate goal of a Super Bowl victory both times.

The 49ers clearly have no interest in building through the draft, as they feel their window for title contention is wider than ever. Only time will tell if the team's gamble was worth it.

The San Francisco 49ers added a boost to their backfield by reportedly acquiring running back Christian McCaffrey from the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night.

So what does McCaffrey switching uniforms mean from a fantasy football perspective? Let's take a look.

McCaffrey should absolutely thrive in a run-heavy San Francisco offense. He's topped 20 carries in a game just once this season in Week 3, and he hasn't reached 15 carries since then. Coincidentally, McCaffrey's 25-rush, 108-yard performance in the third game of the year helped lead Carolina to its lone win of the season.

The Panthers did their best to utilize McCaffrey in the passing attack, as he led the team in targets in two out of the last three games. However, the run game suffered because of it, as Carolina's offense failed to find the proper balance to be successful.

McCaffrey, who is returning to the Bay Area after starring at Stanford, shouldn't have that problem with the 49ers. San Francisco ranks ninth in the NFL with 168 rushing attempts and 12th with 124.0 rush yards per game.

McCaffrey will immediately be inserted as the lead back for the 49ers ahead of Jeff Wilson Jr. and Tevin Coleman. The 26-year-old should be viewed as a must-start in fantasy leagues going forward. Owners who chose not to trade him amid his early struggles are certainly rejoicing after this change in fortune.

The addition of McCaffrey should also greatly benefit 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. The two-time All-Pro is known for his dual-threat ability out of the backfield and could provide Garoppolo with a safety outlet for check-down throws as well as easy scores in the red zone.

While Garoppolo isn't a QB1 by any means, he could be considered a streaming option going forward. McCaffrey's presence could have an affect on the ball-catchers for San Francisco, as he will take some touches away from Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk. However, it won't be significant enough for any of those players to have to be removed from your lineups.

Any fantasy football team managers with 49ers offensive players on their rosters should feel happy about McCaffrey joining the mix for San Francisco.

The San Francisco 49ers' running back room took a major hit earlier this season when Elijah Mitchell was lost to a knee injury.

So they reportedly acquired one of the best running backs in the league on Thursday.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Carolina Panthers traded Christian McCaffrey to the 49ers for second-, third- and fourth-round draft picks in 2023 and a fifth-round draft pick in 2024.

It was quite the price to pay, but McCaffrey is under contract through 2025 and is making $1.04 million in base salary this year, per Spotrac. That means he should be a key part of San Francisco's backfield for years to come as it adds him to a team that had a total cap of $207.7 million and an estimated cap space of $4.8 million, per Spotrac.

Here is a look at the team's current running back depth chart with Mitchell injured:

1. Christian McCaffrey

2. Jeff Wilson Jr.

3. Tevin Coleman

San Francisco has a golden opportunity in front of it this season. While the Los Angeles Rams may be reigning Super Bowl champions, they are off to a 3-3 start and have looked anything but dominant thus far.

The Arizona Cardinals are 3-4, and the Seattle Seahawks are 3-3 in their first season after trading Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos. The NFC West is wide open, and the 49ers are right atop the division at 3-3 even though they have dealt with a large number of injuries to this point.

Mitchell, Trey Lance, Nick Bosa, Trent Williams, Arik Armstead, Javon Kinlaw, Jimmie Ward and Talanoa Hufanga are among those who have dealt with various ailments, but the team is still right in the thick of the early playoff race.

While Lance is lost for the season, the 49ers figure to get healthier at some point. That could open the door for another deep playoff run after reaching a Super Bowl and NFC Championship Game during the past three seasons, and McCaffrey gives them an explosive playmaker who will be quite the one-two punch with Deebo Samuel.

Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is at his best as a game manager who gets the ball in the hands of the playmakers around him, meaning the more game-changers the team can add the better off it will be come the stretch run.

There aren't many better than McCaffrey, who has 393 rushing yards, 277 receiving yards and three total touchdowns through six games for a Panthers team that has largely struggled on the way to a 1-5 record.

Opposing defenses focused much of their attention on him in Carolina, but now they will have to deal with McCaffrey, Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and others in San Francisco.

It will be anything but easy.

It turns out life with DeAndre Hopkins is a lot better than life without him for the Arizona Cardinals.

Arizona went 2-4 while he was suspended for six games for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy but defeated the New Orleans Saints in his return with a 42-34 victory in Thursday's NFC clash at State Farm Stadium.

The five-time Pro Bowler finished with 10 catches for 103 yards, but his impact went beyond the statistics. Whether he was drawing penalties, creating space for teammates or even putting his arm around Kyler Murray in an attempt to calm the quarterback down during a heated exchange with head coach Kliff Kingsbury, Hopkins made his presence felt.

He also impressed social media in the process:

Even with Hopkins' return, it seemed like more of the same for the Cardinals when they fell behind 14-6 after two early touchdown passes from Andy Dalton. But primetime Dalton giveth and primetime Dalton taketh away for his team, and he threw pick-sixes to Marco Wilson and Isaiah Simmons in the second quarter.

Just like that, the Cardinals were in control with a 28-14 halftime lead and never really looked back after intermission.

Second-half touchdowns from Greg Dortch and Eno Benjamin helped keep New Orleans at bay. While scores for Dortch, Benjamin and Keaontay Ingram may not be what fantasy managers wanted, it underscored Hopkins' ability to open things up for his teammates because of the attention he draws.

He will look to do more of that and perhaps find the end zone himself as the Cardinals hit the road to face the Minnesota Vikings.

The Los Angeles Rams have reportedly decided "all options are on the table" with running back Cam Akers, who was ruled out of Sunday's win over the Carolina Panthers for personal reasons.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Tuesday that the Rams will consider both a trade ahead of the Nov. 1 deadline or a release, but it's also possible he remains on the team's roster for the remainder of the 2022 season.

Rams head coach Sean McVay said Friday the franchise was "working through some different things with Cam," and he admitted parting ways was a possibility.

"I'd like to think I'm a very open-minded person," McVay told reporters. "But I think when you look at certain situations and scenarios with the way that things have kind of unfolded, as of right now, I think ... the best option for all parties ... would be to explore if there's a good situation for him with another team."

He added keeping the third-year rusher wasn't "off the table," though.

Akers has yet to live up to expectations since L.A. selected him in the second round of the 2020 draft. He's recorded 779 rushing yards on 201 career carries (3.9 YPC) with three touchdowns. He's added just 16 catches and one score as part of the passing attack.

The 23-year-old Florida State product missed most of last season with a torn Achilles. He returned for the team's playoff run, which resulted in winning the Super Bowl LVI title, but he averaged just 2.6 yards on 67 rushing attempts in the postseason.

In September, McVay said he wanted to see an "increased level of urgency" from Akers this season.

"If Coach don't think I'm being urgent, then [I need to] be more urgent," Akers told reporters after a Week 1 loss to the Buffalo Bills. "That's what it comes down to."

It's unlikely the Rams would receive anywhere near the initial second-round investment in return for the rusher given his mediocre production so far in the NFL, but a change of scenery is probably still the best outcome for all parties involved.

For now, look for L.A. to move forward with a backfield led by Darrell Henderson Jr. and Malcolm Brown until the Akers situation is settled.

The Rams are on a bye in Week 7 before returning to action Oct. 30 against the San Francisco 49ers.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marquise Brown is expected to miss around six weeks after being diagnosed with a nonsurgical fracture in his foot, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Brown was injured in Sunday's 19-9 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday the initial concern was he could be lost for the remainder of the 2022 NFL season.

The Cardinals already hedged their bets by acquiring Robbie Anderson from the Carolina Panthers.

The return of DeAndre Hopkins could help to offset the impact of Brown's injury as well. The five-time Pro Bowler is eligible to play in Week 7 against the New Orleans Saints after serving a six-game suspension for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy.

Still, losing its leading receiver is bound to hurt Arizona's passing game.

Brown caught 43 passes for 485 yards and three touchdowns through the team's first six games. Tight end Zach Ertz is second in receiving yards (299).

Even if Anderson, who's averaging 15.8 yards per reception, provides his intended effect as a downfield threat and Hopkins is his usual self, receiver depth will continue to be an issue for the Cardinals.

For Brown, the injury couldn't come at a much worse time because he's on pace to have a career year. His 80.8 receiving yards per game are nearly 20 more than his previous best (63.0 in 2021).

The 25-year-old is at least under contract for one more season after the Cardinals picked up his $13.4 million option for 2023. Regardless of what happens the rest of the way in 2022, he'll still have next year to rebuild his stock and parlay his performance into a lucrative long-term deal with Arizona or another team.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown suffered a foot injury during Sunday's loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Brown, who told reporters initial X-rays were negative ahead of additional tests Monday, was seen in a walking boot following the game.

Brown started training camp on the active non-football injury list with a hamstring ailment and didn't return until being activated on Aug. 2.

He entered Sunday's game with 38 catches for 417 yards and three touchdowns on the season.

The Cardinals acquired Brown in a trade with the Baltimore Ravens during the first round of the 2022 NFL draft. He was slated to be one of Kyler Murray's top targets alongside Rondale Moore and A.J. Green to start the season.

Veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is expected to lead that group once he's eligible to return from his six-game suspension for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy.

He can take the field for Thursday's game against the New Orleans Saints.

Before being traded to Arizona, Brown had been one of Baltimore's top receivers since being selected in the first round of the 2019 draft out of Oklahoma. During the 2021 campaign, he caught a career-high 91 passes for 1,008 yards and six touchdowns in 16 games.

In 46 games across three seasons with the Ravens, Brown caught 195 passes for 2,361 yards and 21 touchdowns.

The fourth quarter continues to be an issue for San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan as his team fell 28-14 to the Atlanta Falcons.

In this case, it wasn't that San Francisco failed to protect a lead. Instead, the Niners weren't exactly in a hurry to overturn a two-score deficit in the final frame.

Their penultimate drive took 8:08 off the clock and didn't even end with points as a Jimmy Garoppolo pass fell incomplete on fourth down inside the red zone.

Many were surprised by San Francisco's deliberate pace and play-calling given the situation:

The 49ers are sitting at .500 (3-3), and there's a good chance they'll own a losing record this time next week. It's difficult to see how San Francisco has the weapons to match the Kansas City Chiefs blow for blow.

Shanahan has far too much equity built up to this point to think he'd be on the hot seat at any point this season. But that doesn't make him immune to criticism, and there's no question the Niners offense is performing below where you'd expect it to given Shanahan's reputation.