Yes, Christian McCaffrey’s 10 carries compared to CJ Anderson’s 7 seems like a cause for concern. If his owner is panicking, then use these stats and the RotoWorld note “McCaffrey isn’t being used like the bell-cow coach Ron Rivera promised he’d be” to your advantage and buy low. McCaffrey still played on 86% of the Panthers snaps versus Dallas, the highest single-game percentage of his career. Moreover, he also outsnapped Anderson 8 to 4 in the Red Zone. He led the team in receptions (6) and yardage (45), while also gaining a steady 50 yards on his 10 carries, and should remain the engine of this offense.
Most negative: McCaffrey fumbled a ball in the five yard-line, and saw only one of the Panthers’ next seven red zone carries. Hopefully, and what I’m betting on: this is just a slap on the wrist, as McCaffrey ceded exactly 0 snaps or carries in the red zone to Anderson this entire preseason. He also only fumbled five times on 731 collegiate touches, and just twice on his 197 totes last year, suggesting this isn’t a major long-term concern. He also played well, and is the current leader in PFF’s Missed Tackles per Touch (via @ScottBarrettDFB)
Thus, take a strong “Hold” if you own McCaffrey, and test the trade waters if his owner seems to be panicking a bit. He logged the third highest snap percentage of any back in Week One, and the usage seems bound to skyrocket. Hell, he carried the ball ten times in the first quarter of Dress Rehearsal week alone. This 13 FP effort was McCaffrey’s floor.
