Christian McCaffrey became a workhorse back for the Panthers in 2018. The former Stanford first round pick in 2017 played 966 snaps last season, which accounted for 91.3 percent of the team’s offensive plays. No other running back in the league played more snaps. In fact, no other back reached 900. The Panthers want to reduce his workload next year so they don’t run him into the ground.
According to Marcel Louis-Jacques of the Charlotte Observer, Ron Rivera wants to limit McCaffrey’s game action this upcoming year:
“Very much so, and that’s the intent, is to find that guy,” Rivera said. “And understanding what Christian did last year, how many reps he played, that’s something we do have to be concerned with.
“Him touching the ball was no concern. It was just the extra plays. So we have to look at that and find a way to take that load from him.”
McCaffrey had a huge breakout season in 2018. He started all 16 games and rushed for 1,098 yards, 867 receiving yards, and 13 total touchdowns. McCaffrey had 219 carries and 107 catches as well. That’s a lot of touches for a running back. Especially one that was really considered a smaller back. Remember, two years ago at the Combine, McCaffrey only got 10 reps on the bench press.
This is big fantasy news. Will McCaffrey be less involved in the run game or pass game? Will the Panthers draft another back to compliment him? Maybe even steal away some touchdowns? It appears that the Panthers could go a number of different ways because they could use another receiver too. Maybe Curtis Samuel works more in the run game? This is one that we have to check back in on before you draft your fantasy team.
