Christian McCaffrey – 2021 #1 Dynasty Running Back
#22 Christian McCaffrey, CAR
bio:
Christian McCaffrey is IDPE’s #1 dynasty RB in 2021. Drafted by Carolina in the 1st round (#8 overall) out of Stanford in the 2017 draft. He was a consensus All-American in 2015, second-team All-Pro in 2018, and first-team All-Pro in 2019.
attributes:
A smart, versatile 5th-year running back, he is a great receiver with good balance, vision, and quickness. He was awarded the #13 Elusiveness Rating for RB in 2020, per PFF.com. He has a below-average BMI and good athleticism. McCaffrey has a high College Prospect Score (CPS).
| Age* | Height | Weight | 40 | Vertical | Broad | CPS |
| 25.3 | 5’11” | 202 | 4.48 | 37.5″ | 10’1″ | 8.2 |
player grades:
McCaffrey had a down year in 2020, per PFF.com. He had improved each year of his career until 2020, but multiple injuries can likely explain this away.
| Year | Overall | Rushing | Receiving |
| 2017 | 73.9 | 65.5 | 82.9 |
| 2018 | 82.8 | 77.2 | 89.1 |
| 2019 | 86.5 | 75.6 | 92.4 |
| 2020 | 75.6 | 74.9 | 75.9 |
injury:
He missed a total of 13 games in 2020 due to a high ankle sprain, AC joint sprain, and thigh injury.
stats:
McCaffrey had 287 rush attempts (#4), 1387 rushing yards (#3), and 15 rushing touchdowns (#3) in 2019 (his last fully healthy year). He also had an amazing year as a receiver with 116 receptions (#2 out of all receivers), 1005 yards (#28 out of all receivers), and 4 receiving touchdowns (tied #66 out of all receivers).
He has averaged over 2200 yards (rushing and receiving) over his last two healthy years. Therefore, he has an elite floor in fantasy. He also averaged 112 receptions and 16 total touchdowns over the same period. Therefore, he has an elite ceiling in fantasy.
| Year | Rush | RuYd | RuTD | Rec | ReYd | ReTD | TFP* | Games | FP/G** | A4GM*** |
| 2018 | 219 | 1098 | 7 | 107 | 867 | 6 | 328 | 16 | 20.5 | 328 |
| 2019 | 287 | 1387 | 15 | 116 | 1005 | 4 | 411 | 16 | 25.7 | 411 |
| 2020 | 59 | 225 | 5 | 17 | 149 | 1 | 82 | 3 | 27.3 | 437 |
**FP/G is Fantasy Points per Game
***A4GM is Adjusted for Games Missed
Note: Fantasy Points based on 0.5 Points per Reception, 0.1 Points per Yard
strength of schedule:
Carolina has the 15th most difficult RB schedule in 2021, per PFF. The bye week is Week 13, and the most difficult matchups are Weeks 2, 16, and 17, which is the fantasy playoffs. LAC, NE, Buffalo, and TB RBs currently look like solid options if you want to stream based on RB matchup those weeks.
contract:
McCaffrey signed a four-year, $64 mil contract extension with Carolina in 2020. Carolina has a potential out in 2023. If he plays out his contract, he will be an unrestricted free agent in 2026 (30 years old).
summary:
Christian McCaffrey is an elite running back in the prime of his career. He would be a valuable fantasy asset on his receiving stats alone. He will be playing with new quarterback Sam Darnold this year, but the main concern is whether Carolina will try to scale back his workload in 2021 to keep him healthy after an injury-riddled 2020. Expect him to compete for the overall #1 RB in 2021 and dynasty next year.
