RBs D'Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard are expected to compete for the lead job in Carolina's Christian McCaffrey-less backfield, according to the Associated Press' Josh Dubow. Dubow adds that RB Raheem Blackshear could be "potentially in the mix for more work." Foreman has carried 12 times for 37 yards (3.1 YPC) and failed to see a single target through 6 games. Hubbard has 6 carries for 34 yards (5.7 YPC) and 1 catch on 1 target for 1 yard. They've both played exactly 31 snaps, while Hubbard has a slight edge in pass routes (17 to 16). Our initial guess is that this will be something close to a 50/50 committee -- and we'll see about Blackshear. In the league's worst offense, Foreman and Hubbard will struggle for more than low-end RB3 value unless 1 of them emerges as the clear lead back.
The Panthers are trading RB Christian McCaffrey to the 49ers, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. It's obviously a big upgrade in terms of supporting cast for McCaffrey. The 49ers rank 19th in points per game and 18th in yards per game, while the Panthers sit 27th in points per game and dead last in yards per game. San Francisco is also a balanced to run-leaning offense, so McCaffrey should see plenty of rushing volume. We do worry a bit about his target volume, though, in an offense that also features Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle. Overall, we'd consider this about a wash for the fantasy value of McCaffrey, who currently sits 4th among RBs in PPR points per game. We'll see if he'll play vs. the Chiefs this weekend. Carolina, meanwhile, is left with a backfield committee of D'Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard in a bad offense. We'll see exactly what that workload split looks like, but neither guy is an exciting fantasy option.
Update: Carolina will receive 2nd-, 3rd- and 4th-round picks in 2023, plus a 5th-rounder in 2024, according to Schefter.
Update: NFL Network's Ian Rapoport calls McCaffrey "likely" to play vs. the Chiefs on Sunday and adds, "expect a red-zone package." We'll see what else we hear about McCaffrey's projected Week 7 role.
The Panthers are listening to trade offers for RB Christian McCaffrey, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. But "a deal might not be easy to complete" because the Panthers are prepared to keep McCaffrey for 2023 "if they don't receiver a suitable offer," Schefter adds. Carolina has reportedly already declined 2 offers for McCaffrey. We'd consider a trade unlikely to happen but will track the situation through the November 1 trade deadline. If McCaffrey was dealt, the Panthers would be left with RBs D'Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard.
Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey entered Sunday questionable with a thigh injury he had to test pregame. But he wound up with normal playing time and 17 of the 18 RB opportunities for Carolina in the loss to the Cardinals. McCaffrey managed only 27 yards on 8 rushes but caught all 9 of his targets for 81 yards and a TD. D'Onta Foreman got the only other RB touch: a 2-yard run. He played 4 snaps to Chuba Hubbard's 3.
ESPN Panthers reporter David Newton tweeted that Panthers HC Matt Rhule "sounded like it was no big deal" when he discussed RB Christian McCaffrey's thigh injury Wednesday. "We'll see where he is tomorrow," the coach added. There have been plenty of times that McCaffrey has missed Wednesday's practice only to be ready for full use by game time. If he were to miss any games, we're not sure either Chuba Hubbard or D'Onta Foreman would claim a large enough share of the work to be "the guy" for fantasy football lineups.
Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey posted 128 scoreless yards in a Week 2 loss to the Giants. As usual, CMC rarely left the field, ultimately seeing a 91% snap share ahead of D’Onta Foreman (5%) and Chuba Hubbard (3%). The backups combined for only 2 touches. Our biggest concerns going forward are a hot-and-cold Baker Mayfield and a Matt Rhule-led Panthers squad that ranks 28th in total offense. High touch volume still keeps CMC in the top-3 discussion.
Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey ran for 33 yards and a score on 10 carries in Sunday's loss to the Browns, adding 4-24 receiving on 4 targets. A largely sluggish offensive day for Carolina hurt, and QB Baker Mayfield claimed a rushing TD from 7 yards out in the 4th quarter. D'Onta Foreman and Chubb Hubbard combined for just 3 carries and 0 targets behind him.
ESPN Panthers reporter David Newton seems to think RB D'Onta Foreman will be the #2 RB for Carolina this season. In a piece with team-by-team fantasy-related questions for beat writers, Newton writes: "If [Christian McCaffrey] can play 14-17 games, he should again be one of the most productive backs in the league. Just in case, though, put D'Onta Foreman on your roster for insurance." We still wouldn't bet on either Foreman or Chuba Hubbard as a direct replacement should McCaffrey go down. But this could point to Foreman at least taking the rushing lead in that scenario.
Panthers HC Matt Rhule said RB Chuba Hubbard has “really improved” his pass protection. It’s only relevant if Christian McCaffrey misses more time, but it’s a nice development for the 23-year-old after a lackluster rookie season. Currently, Hubbard is battling free-agent addition D’Onta Foreman for scraps behind CMC.
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.
The Panthers have activated RB Christian McCaffrey (hamstring) from IR. Both Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network report that the team "hopes" McCaffrey will play Sunday against the Patriots. Make sure to check his game status Sunday morning if you're planning to play McCaffrey in your fantasy football lineup.
Panthers HC Matt Rhule expects to get RB Christian McCaffrey (hamstring) back on the practice field on Wednesday. "Hopefully we can get Christian back soon. If it's not this week, hopefully it will be next week," Rhule said. We'll keep a close eye on McCaffrey's practice participation level this week. Don't go dropping RB Chuba Hubbard just yet, though.
The Panthers have placed RB Christian McCaffrey on IR. He had already been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Vikings. This move means he'll miss at least 2 more beyond that with the hamstring injury that knocked him out of the Week 3 win at Houston. Rookie Chuba Hubbard should be the lead back this week against Minnesota and for upside matchups at the Giants and Falcons the next 2 weeks. We'll see whether McCaffrey is ready to return for the Week 9 game against New England.
Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey (hamstring) is out for this weekend's game vs. the Vikings. It looks like he suffered a setback this week after missing practice on Thursday and Friday, but we'll look for further updates on his status. RB Chuba Hubbard gets another start on Sunday. He tallied 13 carries and 2 targets in negative game script in Week 4 and 24 carries and 6 targets with more positive script last week.
Update: HC Matt Rhule claimed Friday that McCaffrey didn't suffer a setback and added that he's "hopeful" McCaffrey will be back for Week 7. We'll see.
Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey (hamstring) did not practice on Thursday. It's a downgrade after he put in 3 limited practices last week. Hopefully he didn't suffer a setback. We'll get another update on McCaffrey tomorrow, but at this point it seems more likely than not that he misses Sunday's game vs. the Vikings.
Panthers HC Matt Rhule said Wednesday that RB Christian McCaffrey (hamstring) is “probably 50-50” to play Sunday vs. Minnesota. CMC was limited in practice today. If he returns, it’ll end up being just a 2-game absence for the 25-year-old. Last week in his place, rookie Chuba Hubbard rushed 24 times for 101 yards, adding 5 catches on 6 targets. He’ll remain a plug-in RB2 if McCaffrey sits.
Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey (hamstring) is inactive for today’s vs. the Eagles. He put in 3 limited practices this week and seemingly has a good shot to return for Week 6. Chuba Hubbard gets another game as Carolina’s lead back but ceded pass-catching work to RB Rodney Smith last week.
The Panthers list RB Christian McCaffrey (hamstring) as doubtful for Sunday's game vs. the Eagles. McCaffrey practiced all week and is clearly making good progress in his rehab. But Carolina is wisely playing it safe with the stud back. Chuba Hubbard will again operate as the Panthers' lead back this weekend, but he lost passing-down work to RB Rodney Smith last week. The role leaves Hubbard as a lower-end RB2.
Panthers HC Matt Rhule said Monday that he expects RB Christian McCaffrey to return to practice Wednesday, according to Jonathan Alexander of the Charlotte Observer. That doesn't necessarily mean McCaffrey is on track to return for Week 5, but it would obviously be a big step in the right direction. We'll certainly be watching the Carolina star closely all week.
Panthers HC Matt Rhule said the team is "optimistic" RB Christian McCaffrey (hamstring) will miss 3 games, according to insider Joe Person. McCaffrey hasn't been placed on IR, so Carolina must think there's at least a chance he's back before Week 7. But it sounds like our expectation should be that he misses the next 3 games vs. the Cowboys, Eagles and Vikings. We'll get our 1st look at the McCaffrey-less backfield on Sunday. We're projecting RB Chuba Hubbard to produce RB2 numbers with RB1 upside.
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