Christian McCaffrey - Fantasy Points Outlook

Basic Stats

RB CAR

#1 Running Back

310 Projected Points

ADP: Not Available

Bye: 13

Experience: 4 Yr(s)

Age: 25

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 202

40 Time: 4.48

Weekly Outlook

Week 14 Projections

This player does not have a weekly prediction

Rest Of Way Outlook

Week 11
For the first time since his return from a hamstring injury, McCaffrey was an every-down player, taking 90% of the snaps. But with Cam Newton taking over at QB, the offense was much more diverse, and as a result, McCaffrey’s 17 touches were the fewest he’s seen in his last 3 games. With Newton taking 7 carries, that left just 10 for McCaffrey, though he was his normal elusive self in running for 6 yards per carry. It was also great to see the QB connect with him on 7 of 8 attempts including a 12-yard TD strike on a play McCaffrey got inside leverage on a defender and Newton fired a strike.

McCaffrey came into this game having played just 27 and 41 snaps in his previous 2 games, and his workload should continue to ramp up the further removed he is from the hamstring injury that cost him 5 games. Coming out of his Week 13 bye, he’ll have a cake matchup against the Falcons, but he’ll end the year with 4 straight contests against teams in the top 5 in terms of fantasy points allowed to opposing RBs. But if he’s fully healthy down the stretch, he still should produce at a high level despite the brutal schedule.

Week 10
McCaffrey is in a tier of his own when it comes to usage. In a game where he saw limited snaps in the 2nd half, McCaffrey still piled up 23 touches for 161 yards on the day. There aren’t a lot of RBs in the league that can put up a top 5 week at the position without a TD, but CMC did just that. McCaffrey did get some attention on the sideline mid game from trainers. This is just a reminder for all CMC owners to get their hands on Chuba Hubbard as that security will at least give them RB2 value if CMC were to go down again.
This week the Panthers take on the Washington Football Team, who have been tough vs. RBs all season. However, over the past few weeks they have shown a vulnerability to pass-catching RBs. Alvin Kamara, Aaron Jones, Leonard Fournette, and the Denver Broncos RBs (combined) all had at least 5 receptions in their game vs. Washington. McCaffrey is an auto start rest of season but could be in play in DFS this week due to his elite pass game usage.

Week 9
McCaffrey finally was back in the lineup for the first time since Week 3. True to their word, the coaching staff limited his snaps, as he was on the field just 49% of the time. Despite the lowered amount of field time, he was still heavily used, as he saw 14 carries and 5 targets. Of course, with the Panthers being stymied on offense, there were no legitimate opportunities for him to find the end zone, but he did turn his chances into more than 100 yards of production.

Although most of this season has been a loss for the consensus preseason #1 pick, if he can avoid further injury, there’s no reason he can’t continue to be dominant. Before suffering the hamstring injury, he averaged 29.5 touches and 162 total yards with a TD in Weeks 1 and 2, and it’s reasonable to expect him to see massive usage. However, in the fantasy playoffs (Weeks 15 to 17), he has a brutal schedule, as he faces the number 2, 3 and 4 defenses of the Bills, Buccaneers and Saints.

Week 8
On Wednesday, the Panthers finally designated McCaffrey to return from IR. That doesn’t yet mean he’s back on the active roster or even planning to play this week, necessarily. It officially opens a 3-week window for him to practice with the team. Carolina can activate him at any point in that window -- or shut him down for the season.

Before he landed on IR, there were multiple weeks where Carolina seemed hopeful McCaffrey was about to return. So we’re guessing he’ll return for Week 9 -- or at least soon thereafter. Just make sure you have insurance against him sitting out further until the team officially activates its star.

Week 2
Not much to say here. CMC delivered on high volume (29 touches), scoring once and racking up 137 total yards. The Saints did well to stuff him at the goal line on 2 separate drives. McCaffrey, though, was ultimately too much. His 6 targets, 5 catches and 65 yards each tied for 2nd most on the team. Chuba Hubbard did mix in for 8 carries, but most came in the 2nd half with Carolina holding a comfy lead. One came after a long McCaffrey catch-and-run where he was subbed out. As long as CMC stays healthy, he'll continue to deliver as a high-end RB1.

Week 1
In case you forgot, McCaffrey is a fantasy monster. He scored 27.7 PPR points and 18.7 non-PPR points in the opener — despite not scoring a TD.

That’s what a whopping 30 opportunities will do. McCaffrey carried 21 times for 98 yards and caught a team-high 9 of his team-high 9 targets for a team-high 89 receiving yards. He carried twice inside the Jets’ 10-yard line but wasn’t able to reach pay dirt.

What else needs to be said? If you were lucky enough to land the #1 pick in your draft, enjoy the massive upcoming season from McCaffrey.

Preseason Player Analysis

What You Need to Know:

2020 was a trying year for CMC. After signing a contract extension in the offseason, he suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 2.
McCaffrey returned for Week 9 to carry 18 times for 69 yards — plus add 10 catches. It marked the 9th time he’s caught 10+ balls in his 4-year career. Insane.
However, he also sustained a shoulder sprain in that game. Combined with a quad/thigh injury weeks down the road, CMC never saw the field again. It’s possible he could have played near the tail end of the season, but the Panthers — out of the playoff mix — played it safe.
CMC finished with 59-225-5 rushing and 19-17-149-1 receiving. A small sample size for sure — but nothing surprising under new HC Matt Rhule and OC Joe Brady.
Carolina’s O-line ranked 19th in Pro Football Focus’ run-blocking grades. They lost veteran LT Russell Okung but added a potential replacement in BYU rookie Brady Christensen.
Veterans Cameron Erving (another potential LT) and Pat Elflein (a potential interior starter) arrived in free agency. Most critically, RT Taylor Moton was retained via the franchise tag.
The Jets acquired Sam Darnold over the offseason. He represents a major downgrade from Teddy Bridgewater when it comes to accuracy. But don’t expect Darnold to torpedo CMC’s fantasy value.
A supporting cast that includes DJ Moore, Robby Anderson and rookie Terrace Marshall looks strong. McCaffrey shouldn’t see a ton of loaded boxes.

Draft Sharks Bottom Line

Before a non-existent 2020, McCaffrey’s career started with PPR finishes of RB9, RB2 and RB1. You know he’s well established as an elite, dual-threat playmaker.

The question is whether or not he’s worth the 1st overall pick in fantasy drafts. Our answer: Yes. 2020 turned up the only missed games of his career. And you won’t find a RB with a better combination of ability, touch safety and reception upside.

We’d be surprised if the 25-year-old McCaffrey doesn’t rebound.

Recent Shark Bites View All Shark Bites »

The Panthers have placed Christian McCaffrey on IR for the 2nd time this season, following his left-ankle injury in Sunday's loss to the Dolphins. That automatically knocks him out for the rest of the year, since it's his 2nd IR stint. It's a surprising development after NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported earlier Monday that the injury "doesn't seem major." We'll see about the specifics of the injury, but that won't really matter until we're evaluating McCaffrey for 2022 fantasy football drafts. For now, it's Chuba Hubbard back to the lead at the position in Carolina. He averaged 17.8 carries, 65.8 yards and 0.4 TDs per game rushing in 5 fill-in starts earlier this season, with another 2.6 receptions and 17.6 receiving yards per contest. The Panthers have since added RB Ameer Abdullah, who figures to steal some passing-down snaps from Hubbard the rest of the way. Abdullah has seen 4+ targets in 4 of the past 5 games, averaging 2.6 catches and 22.4 receiving yards per game over those 5 contests.

View all Christian McCaffrey Shark Bites »

Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey's ankle injury "doesn't seem major," NFL Network's Ian Rapoport says. That's the vibe we've gotten since CMC exited in the 1st half of Sunday's blowout loss to the Dolphins. McCaffrey is scheduled for additional testing, so we should get another update on his status later today. He gets a well-timed Week 13 bye and seemingly has a chance to be ready for Week 14.

View all Christian McCaffrey Shark Bites »

Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey rolled his left ankle near the end of the 1st half of Sunday's game vs. Miami. The team never officially announced an injury, but McCaffrey didn’t record a touch in the 2nd half. HC Matt Rhule said afterward that McCaffrey tried to re-enter but couldn’t get comfortable on the ankle. He now gets a Week 13 bye to heal up.

View all Christian McCaffrey Shark Bites »

Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey "rolled his ankle" near the end of the 1st half of Sunday's game vs. Miami, according to Fox's Jen Hale. There's been no official announcement from the team yet, but CMC wasn't on the field to start the 2nd half. Stay tuned.

View all Christian McCaffrey Shark Bites »

Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey (hamstring) is active for today’s game against the Patriots. It’ll be his first action since Week 3. HC Matt Rhule said earlier this week that it won’t “be a 40- to 50-play situation” for McCaffrey, so don’t expect the usual 20+ touches. But CMC is still probably a starter for most fantasy teams. See where he sits in the Week 9 RB Rankings.

View all Christian McCaffrey Shark Bites »

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