Matt Rhule Provides Update on Christian McCaffrey Injury Return Timeline

Week 3 of the NFL season was the last time running back Christian McCaffrey suited up for the Carolina Panthers and fans continue to anxiously await his return to the field. Head coach Matt Rhule provided an update on Monday regarding McCaffrey's injury.

Rhule remains optimistic that McCaffrey will practice this week, but whether or not he plays on Sunday is up in the air. The Panthers could use their Pro Bowl starter back on offense as they are set to face a New England Patriots' defense that is allowing just 20.5 points per game (No. 8 in NFL).

Christian McCaffrey Injury Update

McCaffrey was originally placed on the injured reserve due to a strained hamstring back in early October. He has practiced in a limited fashion on and off, but it is clear that the team wants to make sure he is 100% healthy before activating him. Keep in mind McCaffrey is also coming back from ankle and shoulder injuries suffered last season.

The fifth-year pro is set to take back his starting role upon his return. Rookie Chuba Hubbard has been filling in nicely averaging 65.8 rushing yards and 17.6 receiving yards per game as a starter. However, he has scored just 2 touchdowns and doesn't bring the tenacity that McCaffrey does.

McCaffrey has been a dominant RB for the Panthers when healthy. The former Stanford Cardinal averages 5.8 yards per touch in his career and has scored 30 touchdowns across 54 career games played. It's only a matter of time before he is back to being a problem for opposing defenses.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.