3 Panthers to watch against the Browns in Week 1
2. Christian McCaffrey – Running Back
When he is on the football field, Christian McCaffrey is one of the most dynamic running backs in the game today. He can rush the ball with the best of them and is also a great receiving option.
The key to all of that is him actually being on the field. Over the past two seasons, McCaffrey has played in just 10 of 33 games due to injuries. The best availability is availability, and for the past two years, McCaffrey has not been available much.
Back to what he can do if he stays healthy. And keep in mind that he doesn’t need to stay healthy in order to help beat the Browns in Week 1, but I think I can speak for all football fans in the fact we all want to see what he can do this season when not dealing with injuries.
In his last full season, McCaffrey had quite the historic season. He joined Roger Craig and Marshall Faulk as the only players in NFL history to rush and receive for over 1,000 yards. He compiled 1,387 and 15 touchdowns on the ground while hauling in 116 passes for 1,005 yards and four scores. He was named to the All-Pro First-Team, but the Panthers finished just 5-11.
Previous records don’t mean a thing and the Browns will need to have all hands on deck to stop McCaffrey. The defensive tackle position is arguably the weakest spot on the roster, so they will have their hands full. Luckily for them, they have two highly athletic linebackers behind them in Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Jacob Phillips to help slow McCaffrey down.
Since he missed the bulk of last season, he is now heavily favored to win the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award, and if he can stay healthy, he will have a good shot at it. The Cleveland defense must limit the impact he has on this football game or it could be a long day at the office.
One last thing on McCaffrey; where do you draft him in fantasy football drafts? That all depends on where you pick and if you are comfortable enough to trust him to stay healthy. In all the drafts I’ve been in thus far, he has gone in the top five.