We make predictions about Christian McCaffrey’s upcoming season…
Run CMC. That is a moniker running back Christian McCaffrey has picked up after an impressive rookie season. Now, in Year Two, he remains one of the biggest stars on the Carolina Panthers offense. That is quite an impressive feat considering the talent they have on that side of the football.
He will have to remain a key part of the offense if the Carolina Panthers want to have success in 2018, as he can bring multiple skills to the football field.
Without further ado, we make three bold predictions for Christian McCaffrey’s 2018 season.
He will do more at his actual position
I know this may seem like a bit of a silly bold prediction since he is a running back, but Christian McCaffrey will have more rushing yards than receiving yards in 2018.
That was not the case last year, as he totaled 435 rushing yards compared to 651 receiving yards. He made a name for himself out of the backfield, becoming a weapon in the passing game. His 80 catches were a big part of why the Carolina Panthers offense was so successful. Not only were they successful, they went for big gains too. He averaged 8.14 yards per reception on the year.
His best game in the receiving department came on September 24 against the New Orleans Saints. In that contest, he caught nine passes on 11 targets for 101 yards. His 9.18 yards per target essentially gave the Carolina Panthers a near-first down on every catch.
As many know by now, the Panthers retooled their passing game in the offseason. Torrey Smith, Jarius Wright and Curtis Samuel among others will add depth and skill to the aerial attack. This should take the workload off McCaffrey and allow him to focus on running the ball a bit more. He will have to work for it, as the offensive line is still under construction.
Even still, the Stanford product should be able to have a great year on the ground and could possibility take on the role of a more traditional running back in 2018.
He will have at least 10 combined touchdowns
This next prediction speaks more to McCaffrey’s versatility. The versatility was on display a bit last year and now I think he will continue to show the National Football League he is a jack-of-all-trades. In 2018, McCaffrey will have at least 10 combined touchdowns.
Last season, he had two rushing touchdowns and five receiving touchdowns.
I fully expect the number of rushing touchdowns to go up for McCaffrey as now the Carolina Panthers know what he can do. He is an explosive player with the ball in his hands and once he gets into the open field, sayonara. Last season, the Carolina Panthers were still trying to gauge what type of abilities he had. This year, they know what he can do.
If I had to take a guess, most of his rushing touchdowns this season will come off the big play. I could see them using C.J. Anderson more in goal line situations in the fall. He is that type of big back. McCaffrey should still be able to get a decent shot at opportunities in the red zone.
I’ll say an even split is in the cards for CMC: five rushing touchdowns, five receiving touchdowns. He has the talent to be an impact playmaker and he will showcase that with these numbers.
He will have at least 1,400 yards from scrimmage
This bold prediction hinges on the fact that Christian McCaffrey will contribute a bit more in the running game. It is not as if he did not contribute before, but now with a full offseason in the league, it will be interesting to see what he can do.
In total, McCaffrey racked up 1,086 yards from the line of scrimmage in 2017. That put him No. 28 in the league. Considering he was a rookie, that is not a bad spot to be in, but there is certainly room for improvement. In addition, his 3.7 yards per carry ranked him No. 35 in the National Football League. Again, that is not the worst spot in the league, but there is room for improvement.
I would expect him to at the very least get 400 more rushing yards than last season and about 100 more receiving yards than last season. That would put him at least at 1,600 yards and those are conservative estimates. This could be the year he really breaks out and showcases all of his skills.
He showed up to minicamp looking more muscular and leaner. I think that will pay dividends. He may have to split time with C.J. Anderson in certain situations but that should not hinder his production too much. He has shown he can be a multi-faceted player. Now, he just needs to show that he can continue to be that player and sustain that level of production for an entire season.