Christian McCaffrey has muscled his way back into the MVP hunt, powering the San Francisco 49ers to a five-game winning streak and within striking distance of the NFC's top seed.

The running back crossed the 1,000-yard rushing milestone this week with 117 yards in San Francisco's dominant 48-27 demolition of the Indianapolis Colts on Monday night. It marks the fifth time McCaffrey has rushed for 1,000 yards in a season.

McCaffrey now sits second in the NFL with 1,888 scrimmage yards. At 849 receiving yards, he trails by just 151 from becoming the first player in NFL history to record 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season—a feat he's accomplished once before.

Against the Colts, McCaffrey added two receiving touchdowns, tying Marshall Faulk for the most receiving touchdowns by a running back in league history at 36. When asked about the accomplishment, he downplayed the individual accolade.

"You don't play the game for that stuff. You play the game because you love football and you love playing with your teammates and going out there and competing. But anytime you hear stuff like that, it is cool. I don't take it for granted, and to be mentioned with guys like that's a huge honor for me."

McCaffrey earned his fourth Pro Bowl nod this week. Last season, he led the league in scrimmage yards (2,023) and total touchdowns (21), yet finished third in MVP voting behind Lamar Jackson.

This year, with no frontrunner running away with the award, McCaffrey's case warrants serious consideration. He accounts for 35% of San Francisco's offense—a singular impact that separates him from other career-year performers like Jonathan Taylor, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Myles Garrett, and Puka Nacua.

Still, oddsmakers treat his candidacy as a long shot: +50000 odds at DraftKings Sportsbook.

MVP Watch: Week 17 Rankings

1. Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams

Odds: -230

Stafford remains the frontrunner despite a loss to Seattle. He threw for a season-high 457 yards and three touchdowns against the Seahawks. His 2024 totals: 4,179 passing yards and 40 touchdown passes—making him just the third player in NFL history to post 40+ touchdown passes in three separate seasons, joining Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. He's also the seventh player ever with 4,000+ passing yards in 10 NFL seasons.

2. Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots

Odds: +185

The rookie engineered his first fourth-quarter comeback victory on the road against Baltimore, throwing a career-high 380 yards in a win that kept the Patriots in contention for the AFC East and a potential No. 1 seed. Maye did cough up two turnovers against the Ravens—his eighth interception of the year. The Patriots are 2-6 when Maye finishes with two-plus turnovers.

3. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills

Odds: +2800

Allen gutted out a win over Cleveland's Myles Garrett on a foot injury, playing the entire second half without missing a snap. The durable quarterback has started 120 consecutive games and hasn't missed a game due to injury since his rookie season. Buffalo faces Philadelphia this week with postseason positioning on the line.

4. Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers

Odds: +50000

McCaffrey faces a favorable matchup against Chicago's anemic defense. The Bears allow 131 rushing yards per game (27th in NFL) and 7.1 yards per pass play (28th in league). When these teams last met in Week 14, San Francisco rushed for 131 yards in a 38-13 rout at Levi's Stadium.

5. Myles Garrett, Edge Rusher, Cleveland Browns

Odds: +50000

Garrett collected a half-sack in a 23-20 loss to Buffalo but needs just one more to break the single-season sack record held by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt at 22.5. He has two games remaining—a home matchup against Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers, plus a road trip to Cincinnati. The question isn't if Garrett breaks the record, but how far he pushes it. The problem: his historic pass-rush production has yielded just three wins for Cleveland.

Honorable mention: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Jared Goff, Jonathan Taylor, Jordan Love, Bo Nix.