Panthers' Christian McCaffrey Ruled Out vs. Texans with Hamstring Injury

Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey suffered a hamstring injury in the second quarter of Thursday's game against the Houston Texans and was subsequently ruled out for the remainder of the contest. 

McCaffrey had 40 yards from scrimmage early against the Texans prior to the injury. The 2019 Pro Bowler entered Week 3 ranked sixth in the NFL with 170 rushing yards. He also had 154 yards on 14 receptions through the first two games. 

The 25-year-old amassed an NFL-high 2,392 yards and 19 touchdowns during the 2019 season. After the campaign, he inked a four-year, $64 million contract extension with Carolina.

Unfortunately, he was limited to just three games in 2020 because of a high right ankle sprain that forced him to miss six weeks before an AC joint separation sidelined him for the rest of the year after his return.

The Panthers selected McCaffrey with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft. He split time with Jonathan Stewart in the backfield before taking over as the clear RB1 in 2018, when he broke out for 1,965 total yards and 13 scores.

Mike Davis was the Panthers' top running back without McCaffrey last year, but he left in free agency for the Atlanta Falcons.

Instead, the Panthers have numerous options, with the primary one being rookie Chuba Hubbard, who Carolina selected in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL draft out of Oklahoma State.

Hubbard had just 10 rushing yards on eight carries through the first two weeks.