RADIO
Christian McCaffrey 2022 Player Outlook: Injuries are the key
3 years agoFantasy managers know how great Christian McCaffrey can be. Despite being on a mediocre offense, McCaffrey has been a complete stud since entering the NFL. The past two seasons have been disappointing, though. McCaffrey has been limited to 10 games. This has led to a lot of anger from his fantasy managers. Those who had to select him at No. 1 overall to see him get hurt. Will this injury streak keep him from being drafted high in 2022? No. Because we know, when he is healthy, what he can be. In his entire last season in 2019, McCaffrey was on the field for 93% of the Carolina Panthers' offensive snaps. On those snaps, he totaled 2,392 yards and 19 touchdowns. Along with compiling 287 rush attempts, the 25-year-old also brought in 116 catches on 142 targets. He was the offense. In 2022, and with the quarterbacks the Panthers have, he will need to have another remarkable season for Carolina to have any chance to save the job of head coach Matt Rhule. Sam Darnold, P.J. Walker, or Matt Corral. It will not matter who the quarterback is. They will all know who their best weapon is. They will not need to be told. This makes McCaffrey once again a top-three running back for fantasy teams. Despite the worries about more injuries and his recent track record, there is a real chance he will once again go No. 1 in fantasy drafts. At the same time, there are others in the running. Mainly Derrick Henry and Jonathan Taylor; many leagues will still draft McCaffrey. And it is hard to blame them. Every player has an injury risk. But few have the actual upside of Christian McCaffrey. If you are comfortable taking a chance on him, he is a good pick at number one. If not, Henry or Taylor might be your cup of tea. Either way, McCaffrey is set to have a monster season once again as the only weapon the quarterbacks in Carolina will be able to count on. Especially if the offensive line is not fixed and the receivers cannot get open in time because of it. If you pick third or fourth in your draft and McCaffrey falls to you, pounce on him. He will be worth the risk.
