5 Running Backs With Major Touchdown Upside for 2018

Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers

The addition of C.J. Anderson to the Carolina Panthers' backfield doesn't do as much to hurt Christian McCaffrey's touchdown upside as it might appear.

Last year, McCaffrey was still competing with Jonathan Stewart and Cam Newton for red zone carries, and those two combined for 70.9% of the team's attempts inside the 20.

Despite this, McCaffrey's red zone opportunity (rushes plus targets) market share ranked top-30 in the NFL, at a team-high 20.6%. His 22.81% target market share was also good for 24th among all players -- second only to LeSean McCoy among running backs.

The Panthers ran about as many red zone snaps as we'd expect last year, ranking 12th in both red zone plays and points scored. They have the 13th-highest over/under for points in 2018, so we can expect similar volume out of them in 2018.

McCaffrey ranked 22nd among running backs in opportunities last season despite ranking only third on the team in rush attempts, so the arrival of Anderson doesn't do much to dampen his touchdown upside.

His seven scores as a rookie aren't anything special, but the volume he saw by the goal line is a great indicator that his ceiling is much higher than we saw in 2017.