Fantasy Football 2018: Expectations for sophomore running backs

Christian McCaffery

It’s easy to let Christian McCaffery slip in the conversation of sophomore running backs due to the heavy star-power of the previous three mentioned, despite McCaffery being the second back off the board with the eighth overall pick in the 2017 draft.

McCaffery is by far the running back with the most questions surrounding him, for many reasons. In Christian’s rookie season, he only hit double-digit carries in three games, as the Panthers used Jonathan Stewart as their primary ball-carrier. McCaffery’s role quickly turned into a comparable Alvin Kamara role, being used primarily as a pass-catcher.

In fact, the usage of Kamara/McCaffery are nearly identical. In 2017, Kamara carried the ball a total of 120 times, compared to McCaffery’s 117 touches on the ground. As a receiver, Kamara toted 81 receptions, whereas McCaffery tallied 80 catches. The difference? Kamara out-gained McCaffery by 468 total yards and six touchdowns.

With Stewart departing in the offseason, it appeared McCaffery had the green light to be the feature-back in Carolina. The Panthers later signed C.J. Anderson, effectively ending that hope and shifting McCaffery back into his role as a pass-catcher.

However, Panthers head coach Ron Rivera is wanting to get McCaffery the ball between 25-30 times a game, according to what he told ESPN as training camp started for the Panthers.

"“I don’t want to get to the point where everything starts through him, because it’ll always be through the quarterback [Cam Newton]. But he can be one of those guys that hopefully gets the ball 25 to 30 times a game. That would be ideal.”"

So therein lies the dilemma for those weighing their options with McCaffery. On one side of the coin, Carolina sounds fully intending to get him the ball more in 2018, something fantasy owners would welcome with open arms and grins on their faces. On the other side, however, we have seen McCaffery’s efficiency when compared to other backs in his class.

Not that fantasy players shouldn’t shy away from McCaffery in drafts, as he is one of the better PPR backs of 2018. Yet with the arrival of Anderson, it’s hard to see this season as the year McCaffery bursts through the scene and establishes himself. Should he get the 25 touches per game, McCaffery is without a doubt RB1 in all formats, especially PPR. However, until word turns to action, we will play conservative with McCaffery’s numbers and keep them identical to 2017.

2018 ADP: No. 18 overall pick
2018 expectations: 400 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns, 83 receptions, 8 touchdowns