After getting a second opinion on his injured shoulder, Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey has been told that he may be able to play next week against the Lions, sources tell NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). That’s excellent news for CMC, who was previously thought to be facing a much more serious issue. 
[RELATED: CMC Suffers Shoulder Injury]
McCaffrey will be sidelined for Sunday against the Bucs, but it no longer sounds like his season is in jeopardy. It’s safe to say that he’s eager to get back on the field — McCaffrey has appeared in just three games this year thanks to an ankle injury and his latest shoulder malady. All in all, he’s got 59 carries for 225 yards and five rushing TDs on the year, plus 17 grabs for 149 yards and one score through the air. Before this, McCaffrey had perfect attendance through his first three pro seasons.
Without CMC, the Panthers will continue to rely on Mike Davis as their primary running back. The veteran has done pretty well with the first-string unit, racking up 353 yards off of 85 carries plus 43 catches for 278 receiving yards. The Panthers will need Davis to be at his best this week in order to beat the Bucs and snap their four-game losing streak.
I’m sure his fantasy owners are relieved.
Yes we are
I’m pretty sure Mike Davis isn’t that high on the list of guys they need to be at their best to beat the Bucs.
Actually, he is. Without a strong running attack to sustain their offense, the Panthers will have to rely on Bridgewater and their receivers to compensate. That takes away play-action for their speedy but slight receiving corps and limits the margin for error on passes. Davis does need to play well-and the Panthers need to give him an opportunity to do so by having good o-line play, adequate coaching, and quality calls at the line of scrimmage by Bridgewater. The best chance for Carolina is to keep Tampa’s offense on the sideline, and to do that, they need to run the ball well.
“I think I’ll need another week to…”
(Checks schedule)
“Lions? Oh I’m feeling much better.”
Detroit has actually contained Mac pretty well, limiting him to a 3.75 rushing average.