Christian McCaffrey Injury Update: Is he playing this week?

Fantasy football managers rejoiced when Carolina Panthers running back and first overall pick in standard fantasy leagues, Christian McCaffrey, returned from injury in Week 9 against the Kansas City Chiefs. McCaffrey made his return to the lineup after missing the last six games with an ankle sprain. He picked up right where he had left off, putting up big numbers against the Chiefs – 151 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. But, the celebrations were soon cut short with another possible injury to the star running back. Now, managers need to ask themselves a question they are too familiar with – is Christian McCaffrey playing in Week 11?

Latest injury status for Christian McCaffrey in Week 11

The Panthers have officially ruled out RB Christian McCaffrey for Sunday’s game against Detroit. Additionally, on Thursday, Coach Matt Rhule said that he doesn’t know when McCaffrey (shoulder) will be able to return, according to Joe Person of The Athletic. 

Is Christian McCaffrey playing in Week 11?

In his return, McCaffrey rushed 18 times for 69 yards and a touchdown and brought in all 10 targets for 82 yards and another score in the Panthers’ 33-31 loss to the Chiefs on Sunday. He was activated from injured reserve and was expected to split time with Mike Davis, who performed well while McCaffrey was out.

Ultimately, McCaffrey’s skill outshined Davis, and he ended up outpacing him by 17 carries while also leading the team in receptions as well.

While the game was much more competitive than people expected, it was during the team’s final drive to take the lead where McCaffrey seemed to injure his right shoulder. After McCaffrey caught a pass near the sideline, he was brought down hard on said shoulder. He came back in for another play but went out again on a later drive.

Related | Fantasy RB Injury Report Week 11: Christian McCaffrey, Joe Mixon, Chris Carson, more

Late Wednesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Chrisitan McCaffrey would not be playing in their Week 10 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Originally feared to be a long term shoulder injury, McCaffrey ended up getting a second opinion. While the results seemed positive and head coach Matt Rhule gave fans hope of a quick return, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that McCaffrey is unlikely to suit up against the Lions in Week 11 and that the Panthers are treating his absence as a multi-week one.

How will a Christian McCaffrey injury impact your fantasy team?

While McCaffrey has not officially been declared out for Week 11 yet, as mentioned above, it is looking unlikely. If he doesn’t play, what does that mean for fantasy football managers that relied on him returning to spark their playoff hopes?

Obviously, the player to start in McCaffrey’s absence is Mike Davis. While Davis has been less impactful in the last few weeks, he is still averaging 16.3 touches for 75 yards over the course of his past eight games. Even with McCaffrey returning in Week 10 and outperforming Davis, he still finished with seven rushes for 32 yards and four receptions for 12 yards on five targets. This is a clear indication that the coaching staff still has confidence in him and wanted to use him in the offense.

One thing to keep in mind, Davis was taken to the locker room after sustaining a thumb injury in the third quarter of that game. However, he was able to return to the game in the fourth quarter and should be able to play through the injury the rest of the way.

If McCaffrey does not play in Week 11, all signs are pointing to a potential Week 12 return. It begs the question as to whether or not Carolina should even bother bringing him back at this point. The team is fourth in the NFC South with a 3-7 record. Even though they have played better than expected, their playoff hopes are all but lost.

Rhule hasn’t given any indication that McCaffrey will remain on the sidelines, but it is surely a possibility. Fantasy managers have no choice but to keep McCaffrey on their bench until we get a better understanding of what the team wants to do moving forward. McCaffrey gave managers a taste of what he can do when healthy before the injury last week. Hopefully, Christian McCaffrey can return from injury just in time for the fantasy football playoffs.

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