The San Francisco 49ers are slated to take on the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football, presenting one of the most highly anticipated matchups of Week 17. Both teams enter Sunday night’s game with 11 wins on the season, fighting for home-field advantage during the final fantasy football week of the season, but one player projects to dominate. 

Star running back Christian McCaffrey enters Week 17 ranked 10th in the NFL in rushing over the fourth-most carries, offering plenty of upside in the passing game to boot. McCaffrey leads the team in both rushing and receiving coming into Sunday’s game, the only player in the league to boast such a feat this late in the season. 

The MVP candidate is coming off a dominant performance in the team’s Week 16 win over the Indianapolis Colts, totaling 21 carries for 117 yards on the ground, adding six catches for 29 yards and two touchdowns in the passing game. In fantasy, his 32.6 points among PPR leagues ranked second among all running backs in Week 16, a trend of dominance that projects to continue in Week 17. 

McCaffrey, who enters Sunday night’s game as the leading PPR fantasy scorer this season, will look to help lead San Francisco to its sixth consecutive victory against Chicago. Here’s why his dominance will continue: 

Christian McCaffrey Projects To Dominate In Week 17 Against Bears Defense San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, Fantasy Footbal

Dec 22, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) carries the ball against the Indianapolis Colts in the first quarter of the game at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Bears have boasted one of the more opportunistic defenses in the NFL this season, leading the league in takeaways to this point of the season, despite inconsistency within the unit. In the run game, Chicago has allowed 115 yards on the ground in three of their last five games. Matched up against one of the top offenses in the league, those struggles could continue against McCaffrey and company. 

The star running back will have plenty of opportunity to continue his stellar streak of production on Sunday night. McCaffrey enters Week 17 leading the league in total touches, averaging 24.8 per game to this point of the year. Such volume helps build an encouraging case for fantasy managers, who will need his stellar production in championship matchups. 

McCaffrey is averaging over 25 points per week in fantasy and has remained largely consistent, a good sign in a matchup against a defense that hasn’t shared such consistency. I’m confident the 49ers back will finish with one of the top performances in fantasy, and is a safe pick for Week 17 dominance. 

Chicago’s defense will have its hands full with one of the top backs in the league on Sunday night, looking to overcome its inconsistency on defense. With continued volume, McCaffrey will continue his dominant streak this season. 

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