Report: Christian McCaffrey expected to miss a few weeks with hamstring injury

UPDATE: Friday, Sept. 24 — CMC is expected to miss a few weeks due to the hamstring injury he suffered on Thursday Night Football against the Texans, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

McCaffrey was forced to exit Thursday night’s win over Houston in the second quarter due to a hamstring issue and did not return. He put up 4.0 fantasy points before exiting, but this is a huge blow to anyone who had a No. 1 overall pick in season-long fantasy football. The good news is the injury doesn’t appear to be season-ending. We still don’t know the severity or specifics. For now, if you have Chuba Hubbard on your bench, you’re in OK shape. If not, you’ll need to find a replacement for someone with the upside to lead fantasy in scoring in 2021.

UPDATE: McCaffrey is out with a hamstring injury. The quick ruling to out is bad news for his status moving forward, but there will need to be an MRI before we know about a timetable. Until he returns, rookie Chuba Hubbard will take over as the lead back in this game, but we could see Royce Freeman get some snaps at some point.

McCaffrey was on pace for another big usage game, which usually means lots of fantasy football points. He’ll end the game with seven carries for 31 yards and two receptions for nine yards.

With Sam Darnold and D.J. Moore off to a hot start, we’ll likely see that connection continue as they try to compensate for McCaffrey’s loss.

Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey is in the medical tent early in the second quarter of Thursday Night Football. The nature of his injury is unknown at this time, but the team missed him on fourth-and-one as Chuba Hubbard was stopped at the line. We’ll keep you updated on McCaffrey’s status.