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If Christian McCaffrey is out, who gets his targets?

The San Francisco 49ers room absorbs +0.69 receptions, and Kaelon Black takes the largest single share at +0.57. The work stays overwhelmingly inside the running back room.

Where the work goes

Change in projected receptions for every other player in the offense. The bars are small on purpose — a vacated role is shared out, and any tool showing one replacement absorbing a whole target load is telling you something the data does not support.

Receptions gained if Christian McCaffrey sitsKaelon Black+0.6RB 30% snapsGeorge Kittle+0.0TE 60% snapsJake Tonges+0.0TE 12% snapsLuke Farrell+0.0TE 53% snapschange in projected receptions

Every player in the room

PlayerCatches nowIf he sitsChange
Christian McCaffrey RB · 63% snaps4.70—OUT
George Kittle TE · 60% snaps4.104.14+0.04
Mike Evans WR · 54% snaps3.703.70+0.00
Deebo Samuel Sr. WR · 59% snaps3.603.60+0.00
Jordan Watkins WR · 28% snaps1.901.90+0.00
Demarcus Robinson WR · 47% snaps1.401.40+0.00
Jake Tonges TE · 12% snaps1.401.44+0.04
Luke Farrell TE · 53% snaps0.800.84+0.04
KhaDarel Hodge WR · 32% snaps0.700.70+0.00
De'Zhaun Stribling WR · 32% snaps0.700.70+0.00
Jacob Cowing WR · 28% snaps0.600.60+0.00
Kaelon Black RB · 30% snaps0.601.17+0.57

What the data says happens

Measured across every regular-season game from 2018 onward, each beneficiary compared against his own trailing four-game form and net of what the same players do in weeks the room’s number one actually plays.

RoomReceptions gainednt
Receivers+0.1122,0942.36
Tight ends+0.1031,2582.16
Backs+0.6101,04211.17

The room total is predictable. Which player takes it is not. Every candidate predictor of who gains — pecking order, snap share, route depth, trailing targets — correlates at roughly r = 0.02. In any single week one player usually takes about 60% of what was vacated; it is simply not predictably the same one.

Christian McCaffrey’s full stats and usageSnap share, target share, game log and this week’s projection

Cascade effects 2018–2026, paired within player, net of control · projections as-of-week with no lookahead · 2026 week 4