Player Outlook
The case for taking McCaffrey as soon as No. 1 overall starts here: He's hit at least 15 PPR points in 80.9% of his games over the past four seasons (4 of 7 games in 2021), and at least 20 PPR points in 73.8% of his games in the same span (also 4 of 7 games in 2021). Running backs with that kind of consistent Fantasy upside are very difficult to find. The case against CMC is pretty obvious: He's missed 23 out of a possible 33 games, not including two games he left early, due to five separate injuries over the past two seasons. The Panthers have obviously recognized this and seem open to lowering McCaffrey's exposure this season, but perhaps not to a point where he's significantly splitting high-value opportunities. A potentially muddled depth chart behind him and a tough projected schedule doesn't help, though that would impact Carolina's backups -- D'Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard -- much more than McCaffrey. Here's the bottom line: Those with fearless conviction will take McCaffrey if they get the chance, those who confidently opt for safety in Round 1 won't choose him, and those who can't pass up an opportunity on a league-winner will figure out where the stud-when-healthy running back fits in among the other elite-tier players. Our consensus? If he's available at fifth overall or later in PPR (sixth in non-PPR), he's worth the risk.
Player News
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McCaffrey (ankle) looked good while participating in the Panthers' OTAs on Tuesday, Steve Reed of the Associated Press reports. McCaffrey continues to avoid setbacks this offseason after dealing with various injuries during the 2021 campaign. The 2017 first-round pick has only played in 10 games over the past two seasons after not missing a contest over his first three years in the NFL. McCaffrey appears to be healthy heading into the 2022 campaign, and the Panthers intend to keep it that way by holding him out of preseason games again and possibly taking a different approach with him during practices, per Joe Person of The Athletic.
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McCaffrey (ankle) is participating in offseason workouts. It's another hint McCaffrey didn't have too much trouble this offseason with any of the various injuries that impacted his 2021 campaign. He played only 10 games over the past two years, but he does seem to be in good health at the moment, and he averaged 112.1 total yards and 5.4 catches per game last season despite exiting early with injuries in two of his seven appearances. Apart from health, the biggest concern for McCaffrey is poor QB play, as the Panthers still are in the process of trying to upgrade on Sam Darnold.
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McCaffrey (ankle) restructured his contract with the Panthers on Tuesday, opening up about $5.5 million in salary cap space for 2022, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. The Panthers wanted to free up some cap space to maintain their flexibility for the offseason, and McCaffrey's contract was a natural candidate for a restructure. The 25-year-old is coming off his second consecutive injury-riddled season, as he was limited to seven games in 2021 by hamstring and ankle injuries and totaled 99 carries for 442 yards plus 37 receptions for 343 yards, with only two total touchdowns.
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Coach Matt Rhule said Monday that he "fully expects" McCaffrey (ankle) to remain with the Panthers for the 2022 season, Steve Reed of the Associated Press reports. McCaffrey topped 400 touches during the 2019 campaign but has missed extended time in each of the last two seasons due to injuries. He appeared in 10 games across the last two years and rushed 158 times for 667 yards and six touchdowns while catching 54 of 60 targets for 492 yards and two touchdowns during that time. The 25-year-old has been mentioned in trade rumors recently, but it appears as though the Panthers are committed to bringing back their star running back in 2022.
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The Panthers removed McCaffrey (ankle) from the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of Sportstalk 790 Houston reports. McCaffrey already was ruled out for the season with the sprained left ankle, but he'll head back to injured reserve following a positive test for the virus last Tuesday. Chuba Hubbard and Ameer Abdullah will continue to split the Panthers' backfield reps for the rest of the campaign. According to Jonathan M. Alexander of The Charlotte Observer, McCaffrey won't need surgery to address the ankle injury, so he should be ready to go for OTAs after a few months of rest and rehab.
Recent Tweets
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12:17 pm ET / @josephperson
Joe Person
Panthers’ Christian McCaffrey sought out Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk this offseason. Faulk’s advice: Train, practi… https://t.co/IDwtMOhx0H
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2:57 pm ET / @DNewtonespn
David Newton
Christian McCaffrey ends mandatory minicamp the way he began it … not practicing. Part of keeping him fresh. https://t.co/CsSzAC3WIA
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4:16 pm ET / @josephperson
Joe Person
Christian McCaffrey not in uniform again. Matt Rhule said the guys who were given the day off yesterday would proba… https://t.co/2Q3qNgNHe5
Completed Games
WK | OPP | RUATT | RUYD | RUTD | RECPT | REYD | RETD | FPTS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | NYJ | 21 | 98 | 0 | 9 | 89 | 0 | 17 |
2 | NO | 24 | 72 | 1 | 5 | 65 | 0 | 19 |
3 | @HOU | 7 | 31 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 3 |
*4 | @DAL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
*5 | PHI | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
*6 | MIN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
*7 | @NYG | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
*8 | @ATL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
9 | NE | 14 | 52 | 0 | 4 | 54 | 0 | 10 |
10 | @ARI | 13 | 95 | 0 | 10 | 66 | 0 | 15 |
11 | WAS | 10 | 59 | 0 | 7 | 60 | 1 | 17 |
12 | @MIA | 10 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
13 | BYE | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
*14 | ATL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
*15 | @BUF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
*16 | TB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
*17 | @NO | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
*18 | @TB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
PROJECTION | 222 | 908 | 5 | 85 | 720 | 3 | 189 | |
* indicates player did not play that week |
Scheduled Games
WK | DATE | OPP | OPP RANK | OPP FPTS |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 09/11 | Cleveland Browns | 15 | 16.18 |
2 | 09/18 | @New York Giants | 26 | 20.06 |
3 | 09/25 | New Orleans Saints | 2 | 13.18 |
4 | 10/02 | Arizona Cardinals | 3 | 13.78 |
5 | 10/09 | San Francisco 49ers | 7 | 14.60 |
6 | 10/16 | @Los Angeles Rams | 9 | 14.95 |
7 | 10/23 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4 | 14.00 |
8 | 10/30 | @Atlanta Falcons | 23 | 18.76 |
9 | 11/06 | @Cincinnati Bengals | 17 | 16.57 |
10 | 11/10 | Atlanta Falcons | 23 | 18.76 |
11 | 11/20 | @Baltimore Ravens | 11 | 15.82 |
12 | 11/27 | Denver Broncos | 18 | 16.76 |
13 | BYE | - | - | - |
14 | 12/11 | @Seattle Seahawks | 29 | 21.35 |
15 | 12/18 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 27 | 20.11 |
16 | 12/24 | Detroit Lions | 31 | 22.06 |
17 | 01/01 | @Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4 | 14.00 |
18 | 01/08 | @New Orleans Saints | 2 | 13.18 |
Team Trends
Red Zone Trends
Career Stats
Season | RuAtt | RuYd | RuTD | Recpt | ReYd | ReTD | FPTS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2021 | 99 | 442 | 1 | 37 | 343 | 1 | 90 |
2020 | 59 | 225 | 5 | 17 | 149 | 1 | 72 |
2019 | 287 | 1387 | 15 | 116 | 1005 | 4 | 354 |
2018 | 219 | 1098 | 7 | 107 | 867 | 6 | 279 |
2017 | 117 | 435 | 2 | 80 | 651 | 5 | 148 |
3 Year Avg | 148 | 685 | 7 | 57 | 499 | 2 | 171 |
Career | 781 | 3587 | 30 | 357 | 3015 | 17 |