Week 14 at Atlanta Falcons
At night, outside Bank of America Stadium, Christian McCaffrey disappears from the field and absconds into the darkness. Where he goes, few know, but it’s said he merges with the statues of Panthers guarding the entrance. From these statues, he absorbs the speed of ferocious big cats. Like the panther. McCaffrey can adapt to any environment, and his strength is drawn from something mystical that emanates from downtown Charlotte. His soul is transformed each and every night, making him somehow stronger and faster than he was the day before. This is the only possible explanation for how good McCaffrey has been this year.
In a “down” week, McCaffrey was held to “just” 102 scrimmage yards on 14 carries and seven receptions. He’s second in the NFL in rushing yards, he leads the league with 16 touchdowns and he’s fifth in receptions. Not fifth among running backs… fifth among all players! He faces a Falcons defense that actually ranks 10th in aFPA to opposing running backs this year, but matchups don’t matter for McCaffrey. He caught 11 balls for 121 yards the last time he faced this team, and he should be active as an elite fantasy option in all formats.