Through two games, Christian McCaffrey was on pace for 500+ touches. Even in a 17-game season, that would be #2 all-time (I believe) in RB touches per game. That's probably not what led to his hamstring injury. But as we know by now, it doesn't help to be an overworked RB. And one would have thought Carolina's coaches would have learned from 2020--that they would have kept CMC at around 20 touches to help maintain his longevity.
But regardless of whether this was a "fluke" or a symptom of over-usage, CMC's injury crushed some managers' hopes last night, and it also sets up a realistic scenario where he sits Week 4 against Dallas. This is not what folks bargained for when he went #1 overall--or generally at worst, top 3--in preseason drafts. All one can do now is wait it out and hope he returns Week 4, or Week 5 at the latest, though we all know hamstring ailments can linger. So I'd be shocked if his workload didn't drop to 25% or more.
A major factor in CMC's high-volume future is whether Chuba Hubbard develops into a competent "junior partner" in this backfield, earning maybe 6-8 touches a game to help keep CMC out of trouble. Or Royce Freeman could finally make good on his early-career hype. It's hard to gauge talent when last night's opponent was Houston. But after a very slow start, Hubbard flashed enough to earn major minutes next week if CMC sits. Freeman will have a shorter leash as the 1B, and might not get any run if Hubbard asserts himself. I recently wrote here, or in a message response to a reader, that Hubbard wasn't a true bellcow. I simply didn't trust him if he was forced to start. Based on what we saw yesterday, I'm probably wrong. But the Jags' RBs averaged 5.0 YPC against Houston. So let's see what happens next week before rendering judgment.
Elsewhere, the stubborn use of the nearly 32-year-old Mark Ingram remains a mystery, unless the Texans know exactly what they're doing rolling him out there each week. David Johnson did not get the looks I thought he would, though I still believe he deserved to given Ingram's complete ineffectiveness. Instead, rookie Davis Mills kept going to Brandin Cooks as his safety valve. It helped that Carolina's secondary got hit with injuries. And Anthony Miller somehow was Mills' #2 target. Chris Conley was the team's only other wideout to get a look (and only one target at that). It's odd to think of Miller as fantasy-useful. Keep in mind Nico Collins and Danny Amendola will miss a little more time, so Miller has an opening to establish himself. However, I'd be surprised if he remains the #2 when Collins and Amendola are back.
Elsewhere, did anyone sell high on Robby Anderson? Terrace Marshall separated himself a bit further from Anderson last night. The latter has only five catches on the season. If he can't get going next week, especially if a an elite playmaker like CMC out, it will be hard to justify rostering Anderson in any 10-team leagues.
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But regardless of whether this was a "fluke" or a symptom of over-usage, CMC's injury crushed some managers' hopes last night, and it also sets up a realistic scenario where he sits Week 4 against Dallas. This is not what folks bargained for when he went #1 overall--or generally at worst, top 3--in preseason drafts. All one can do now is wait it out and hope he returns Week 4, or Week 5 at the latest, though we all know hamstring ailments can linger. So I'd be shocked if his workload didn't drop to 25% or more.
A major factor in CMC's high-volume future is whether Chuba Hubbard develops into a competent "junior partner" in this backfield, earning maybe 6-8 touches a game to help keep CMC out of trouble. Or Royce Freeman could finally make good on his early-career hype. It's hard to gauge talent when last night's opponent was Houston. But after a very slow start, Hubbard flashed enough to earn major minutes next week if CMC sits. Freeman will have a shorter leash as the 1B, and might not get any run if Hubbard asserts himself. I recently wrote here, or in a message response to a reader, that Hubbard wasn't a true bellcow. I simply didn't trust him if he was forced to start. Based on what we saw yesterday, I'm probably wrong. But the Jags' RBs averaged 5.0 YPC against Houston. So let's see what happens next week before rendering judgment.
Elsewhere, the stubborn use of the nearly 32-year-old Mark Ingram remains a mystery, unless the Texans know exactly what they're doing rolling him out there each week. David Johnson did not get the looks I thought he would, though I still believe he deserved to given Ingram's complete ineffectiveness. Instead, rookie Davis Mills kept going to Brandin Cooks as his safety valve. It helped that Carolina's secondary got hit with injuries. And Anthony Miller somehow was Mills' #2 target. Chris Conley was the team's only other wideout to get a look (and only one target at that). It's odd to think of Miller as fantasy-useful. Keep in mind Nico Collins and Danny Amendola will miss a little more time, so Miller has an opening to establish himself. However, I'd be surprised if he remains the #2 when Collins and Amendola are back.
Elsewhere, did anyone sell high on Robby Anderson? Terrace Marshall separated himself a bit further from Anderson last night. The latter has only five catches on the season. If he can't get going next week, especially if a an elite playmaker like CMC out, it will be hard to justify rostering Anderson in any 10-team leagues.
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Personalized Fantasy Advice Sign-up: www.fantasyfootballforwinners.com/p/personalized-fantasy-advice.html
Follow on Twitter: @_FF4W