2018 Fantasy Football: Christian McCaffrey Player Profile

Christian McCaffrey Player Profile

If you love you some PPR backs, then this fantasy football Christian McCaffrey player profile is for you. As we gear up to the start of the NFL season, Football Absurdity is going to bring you a comprehensive breakdown of every notable player that will be available in fantasy football drafts.  When you don’t see us talking about Christine Michael or Mike Davis, don’t get mad at us for neglecting your favorite sleeper.  Get mad at yourself for having bad taste in football players.  We are only focusing on the top-rated running backs in standard scoring and points per game leagues.

With my player profiles, I’ve only decided to go back to look at their fantasy scoring for three years.  I could show you lists from earlier, but most of the guys at the top are no longer in the league anymore.  I’ve also added a chart for their usage over that time span.  We will try to determine, based on those two factors, where the best running back value lies.

Fantasy Football Christian McCaffrey

Current ADP (As of 9/3/2018):

Standard: Number 11 among running backs.  Number 15 overall.

PPR: Number 11 among running backs.  Number 15 overall.

 

Stats:

FANTASY FOOTBALL CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY SCORING — STANDARD

Rank Total Points PPG Rank PPG
2017 14 143.2 18 9.5

FANTASY FOOTBALL CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY SCORING — PPR

Rank Total Points PPG Rank PPG
2017 10 228.6 13 14.3

FANTASY FOOTBALL CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY USAGE

Carries Carries Per Game Targets Targets Per Game
2017 117 7.3 113 7.1

 

Overview: Christian McCaffrey is an interesting prospect to me.  He was an RB1 in PPR leagues, and just missed the cut in standard scoring.  I cannot tell how much of his struggles came from being a rookie or from having Mike Shula as an offensive coordinator.  Truth be told, few coordinators are as offensive as Shula is. He has made a career out of misusing talent.  His insistence on riding an over-the-hill Jonathan Stewart made no sense.  It is a wonder the Panthers have had the offensive success they have had.  Now that Shula is out and Norv Turner is running the show, I think McCaffrey could end up being a sneaky value play.  He is only a second-year player and I will admit to loving his college tape.  While some people are concerned at CJ Anderson assuming the role of Jonathan Stewart this year, I don’t think he is someone to be worried about.  Even if he manages to stay healthy, which is not guaranteed, the Panthers have not invested that much in him.  He appears to be there solely as a change-of-pace guy.

Strategy: At his current ADP, McCaffrey is definitely on my radar in the second round.  You could reasonably end up with one of the top receivers and McCaffrey in the second round to give yourself a solid core.

Ceiling: I think McCaffrey, barring injury, can definitely end the year as an RB1.  I think he could even crack the upper echelon of running backs if things go his way.

Floor:  What will actually happen is it will turn out he cannot run up the middle and the Panthers wasted a top ten pick on a glorified PPR back.  You will hate him for drafting him so early because he will produce so little.

 

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