THE INJURY
A devastating week in the NFL as many teams, real and fantasy, saw their top stars go down. The clear-cut number one overall pick in both dynasty and redraft leagues, Christian McCaffrey was no exception. McCaffrey left fantasy teams a parting gift, one more touchdown in another top 12 week. Unfortunately, we will have to wait 4-6 weeks as he deals with a high ankle sprain.
This injury is different for everyone but should be taken seriously as it can completely derail a player’s seasonal production if they come back too soon. Saquan Barkley suffered this same injury last year and was held to single-digit fantasy games in three of his first seven games back before ending the year on an absolute tear, with over 90 points in his final three games. This should instill hope, but also limit expectations and hope the Panthers allow him to completely heal before he makes his return.
REDRAFT IMPACT
Hopefully, your redraft leagues have/added IR spots this year because you need them! McCaffrey is not a drop in redraft, however, this is an interesting time to shop him around if there are some overly confident teams in your league that think they can take on his injury just because they’re 2-0. If you are sitting at 0-2, trading McCaffrey for someone like Austin Ekeler might be the best way to start clawing back into the playoffs. If you’re 1-1 or 2-0, it’s going to be a team by team basis. Maybe try your luck on the waiver wire for the next man up…
Mike Davis! Mike Davis is the next man up and he filled in valiantly for McCaffrey with one carry for one yard… oh, and eight catches on eight targets for 74 giving him a solid 15.5 points in PPR leagues. Davis will be the guy to go after in Carolina while McCaffrey is out, but he isn’t McCaffrey. Expectations need to be greatly tempered. Davis isn’t someone I’m going after in all of my leagues because I’m wary of just how useful he will be week-to-week. There are a few tough matchups over the next six weeks, including the Chargers, Chicago, and New Orleans where I just don’t see Davis being someone that I’d be excited to start. But if you are desperate at running back, he’s better than whoever the Jets are plodding out.
DYNASTY IMPACT
Christian McCaffrey was the number one dynasty asset before this high-ankle sprain. Guess where he is now? NUMBER ONE OVERALL. McCaffrey gets a lot of work and has been fortunate to put off the injuries for his entire career. I’m not letting one ankle injury shift my opinion of a player who has a floor of 20 points. If there’s a chance you can trade something along the lines of two firsts or pretty much any other healthy top 15 running back for McCaffrey, do it right now and don’t look back because that would be highway robbery.
If Mike Davis is somewhere on the waivers right now, I’d be putting a claim in for him. If he’s not, I’m not going to trade for him. I’d only look to pick him up so that I can trade him for a pick. Whenever there’s a chance to turn FAAB or just a waiver wire spot into a top-three round draft pick, it’s a home run. If you’re the McCaffrey manager, it might not be a bad idea to hold onto Davis as we continue to see this crazy 2020 season unfold.
What do you think of the Christian McCaffrey injury? Hit me up @DFF_JoeMem on twitter to let me know! And be sure to sign up for the DFF monthly subscription so you can have access to my Dynasty Rankings and be one step ahead of the competition!
