Panthers' Christian McCaffrey Not Expected to Play vs. Lions Because of Injury

Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey is not expected to play in Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions at Bank of America Stadium because of a shoulder injury.

This news should come as no surprise, as ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday that the Panthers were preparing for a "multi-week" absence.

McCaffrey was banged up during a Week 9 defeat against the Kansas City Chiefs and subsequently missed last week's loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

This is yet another setback for the dynamic playmaker, who has missed significant time this year with shoulder and ankle injuries. The health concerns are a new development for the 24-year-old, who did not miss a single game during his first three seasons in the league.

When healthy, McCaffrey is one of the best players in the NFL.

The Stanford product ran for more than 1,000 yards in his second season in 2018 and then exploded for 1,387 rushing yards, 1,005 receiving yards and 19 total touchdowns in 2019. That performance put him on the shortlist of likely MVP candidates heading into the 2020 campaign (and made him the consensus No. 1 pick in plenty of fantasy leagues), but the injuries have prevented him from building an impressive encore.

McCaffrey has 225 rushing yards, 149 receiving yards and six total touchdowns in three games this year.

Look for the Panthers to rely on Mike Davis in the backfield, just as they did earlier this season when their star running back was sidelined.