Christian McCaffrey injury: 5 RBs to replace him with in fantasy football
Christian McCaffrey’s injury does not mean the end of your fantasy football season.
Week 2 of the 2020 NFL season has become some sort of scary dream considering all the injuries to major players. From defensive studs like Nick Bosa to offensive powerhouses like Saquon Barkley both reportedly ending their season’s prematurely via injury, it was a dark week of the season.
On Monday morning, it was revealed that another injury to one of the leagues stars has been diagnosed, as Carolina Panthers’ Christian McCaffrey is set to miss 4-6 weeks according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The No. 1 overall selection in many fantasy drafts this year is now sidelined with an injury and has no clear timeline of when he will return. That means fantasy owners will be scrambling to find a replacement, whether it’s via trade or on the waiver wire like many would figure. And while replacing the output of McCaffrey is almost impossible, there are names out there that will definitely help ease the wound of missing your best player.
Here are the five best running backs to replace him with moving forward.
5 fantasy football replacements for Christian McCaffrey
1. Mike Davis, CAR
The instant fix to missing McCaffrey would be adding his backup and now the starter, Mike Davis, to your team off the waiver wire. Davis played a major role on Sunday for the Panthers, bring in eight catches for 74 yards and contributing one carry for a yard.
That production will make him the layup to be the starter for Carolina moving forward and the No. 1 priority add on waivers this week.
The hope is that you will have a higher waiver priority than the rest of your league mates as a McCaffrey owner, especially considering Davis’ eight catches could be a sign of things to come, making him a must-start and the safest waiver option.
In the past, Davis has also been an effective runner during his time with the Seattle Seahawks, where he averaged 4.6 yards per carry in 2018, totaling 514 yards rushing. Davis’ effectiveness as a pass-catcher mixed with opportunity makes him the best option to try and come close to replicating the greatness of McCaffrey.