30 Fantasy Football Bold Predictions for the 2017 Season
Christian McCaffrey Won't Be a Top-20 Running Back
Why This Is Bold: McCaffrey was the eighth overall selection in this year's draft, and he is, on average, the 15th running back taken in standard fantasy drafts.
Why This Will Happen: Before you dub me a Christian McCaffrey hater, you should note that I love the dude and think he's the best real (not fantasy) running back in this year's class. So, take that.
I do question how big of a Year 1 campaign he'll have, though. At least from a fantasy (standard) perspective. Jonathan Stewart is still very much in the mix for the Panthers, and that alone should be limiting for McCaffrey. Especially close to the goal line, where the bigger-bodied J-Stew will dominate touches, along with quarterback Cam Newton.
Last season, no running back finished in the top-20 in standard scoring leagues with fewer than five touchdowns. And only one player -- Spencer Ware -- was able to to do that. Ware, though, carried the ball 214 times (that's no lock for McCaffrey with Stewart in the backfield) with 11 carries from within his opponent's 5-yard line, which was tied for the 15th-most in the league. Again, that type of volume isn't a sure thing for McCaffrey, either.
His floor should be fine in PPR formats given his receiving ability, but without the touchdown upside, there's a chance his overall ranking slips a bit in standard-scoring leagues.
