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Christian McCaffrey to miss at least three weeks after Panthers place him on IR

Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey will not play in the team’s next three games due to a high-ankle sprain. The Panthers placed McCaffrey on Injured Reserve on Wednesday, ensuring he would miss at least three games.

McCaffrey, 24, injured his ankle in the fourth quarter of the Panthers’ 31-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2. McCaffrey was initially slated to miss 4-6 weeks due to the injury.

Any fans — or fantasy players — hoping for a quicker recovery will have to be patient for now. Due to new Injured Reserve rules, McCaffrey will not be eligible to play for three weeks. He will be eligible to return for the Panthers’ Week 6 game against the Chicago Bears, but could still need additional time to recover.

While that’s disappointing for fans and fantasy players, it could be worse. In the past, players placed on Injured Reserve would miss eight games. McCaffrey could still return at the shorter end of his initial recovery period.

With McCaffrey sidelined, the Panthers will likely turn to Mike Davis and Trenton Cannon in the run game.

Panthers still looking for first win

Despite McCaffrey’s production — he scored four touchdowns in the team’s first two games — the Panthers are still looking for a win in 2020. That task will be much harder without McCaffrey, who turned in an All-Pro season in 2019.

No single player can replace McCaffrey’s production, so a number of Panthers will need to step it up with McCaffrey out. More responsibility will fall on new quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who has thrown for one touchdown and two interceptions in the team’s first two games.

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