Panthers' Christian McCaffrey: Returning to action Week 9

McCaffrey (hamstring) is listed as active Sunday versus the Patriots, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

The Panthers signaled McCaffrey would be making his return to action Week 9 by activating him from injured reserve Saturday. While McCaffrey has essentially been a must-start fantasy option since entering the NFL in 2017, there's a chance he won't log his typical voluminous snap and touch counts as he eases into it after straining his hamstring back in Week 3. According to David Newton of ESPN.com, McCaffrey is expected to be limited to a "pitch count" of 30 to 40 snaps, which could leave some work left over for Chuba Hubbard -- who averaged 20.4 touches per game during McCaffrey's five-game absence -- and Ameer Abdullah.