Christian McCaffrey, D.J. Moore Fantasy Outlook After Baker Mayfield Injury

The Carolina Panthers may be forced to turn to backup quarterback P.J. Walker after Baker Mayfield suffered a high-ankle sprain during Sunday's loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport provided more context:

With Mayfield sidelined, the fantasy value of wide receiver D.J. Moore and running back Christian McCaffrey has been impacted. So, what is their outlook moving forward?

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D.J. Moore

Moore's outlook shouldn't change much with Mayfield sidelined, and it may even improve.

The 25-year-old has been one of Carolina's top receivers across four seasons and has posted more than 1,000 receiving yards in each of the last three years.

He posted those numbers while playing with a number of different quarterbacks, including Sam Darnold, Teddy Bridgewater, Walker, Cam Newton, Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen. So, he should have an easy time linking up with Walker, especially given his familiarity with the backup.

It's also not as if Moore was finding success with Mayfield under center.

He has 17 catches for 197 yards and one touchdown through fives games, which is a far cry from his production before Mayfield arrived.

Perhaps Walker can help him rediscover his form.

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Christian McCaffrey

Provided he's healthy, McCaffrey will still have a significant impact in the Carolina lineup.

McCaffrey is the team's top running back and unquestioned leader in the backfield. With Mayfield injured, he could see even more snaps and more looks while Walker fills in.

He has already rushed for 324 yards to go with 188 receiving yards this season.

The 26-year-old is one of the best running backs in the league when healthy, posting back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons in 2018 and 2019. However, injuries have derailed his career since then, which has hurt his value to fantasy managers.

Still, he should be in starting lineups as long as he's healthy.