Carolina Panthers Christian McCaffrey's Rushing Yards 2020/21 - Predictions & Odds

• At just 23 years of age, Carolina Panthers dual-threat running back Christian McCaffrey has made a huge impact on the NFL, the 2x First-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler already setting many NFL records in his first three years playing in the league.
• In his three NFL seasons, McCaffrey has rushed for almost 3,000 total yards for 24 touchdowns while catching for over 2,500 yards and another 15 touchdowns, making him double trouble for defenses to have to game plan around.
• Last season alone, McCaffrey carried the ball 278 times for 1,387 total yards and 15 touchdowns along with 116 receptions, making him the third most productive player at his position in 2019.
• After a long run, the Carolina Panthers will no longer have quarterback Cam Newton on the roster, so McCaffrey and the rest of the offense will have to quickly acclimate to the style of Teddy Bridgewater, the talented veteran who finally gets another shot at his own team.

The Carolina Panthers did not fare well last season, posting a 5-11 final record and a last-place finish in the NFC South, though they did that despite the excellent play of their star running back/receiver Christian McCaffrey.

Proving to be a handful for opposing defenses to strategize around, McCaffrey, at just 5’11” and 205-pounds, has a way of finding holes and escaping tackles and using his breakaway speed to make the big plays, the perfect example being the career-long 84-yard touchdown run he executed in Week 5 last season against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

With the huge quarterback question finally answered in Carolina, McCaffrey should benefit and have a breakout season in 2020, so we take a look at the prediction and odds of his total rushing yards for the upcoming season and examine his chances of getting there.

Christian McCaffrey’s 2020 Rushing Yards

Odds taken 5 June 2020, from DraftKings

Remember, the point spreads in these wagers will most likely shift several times before the actual games are played, so be sure to check back in often to get all the latest predictions and odds.

McCaffrey Puts Up Big Numbers From Scrimmage

Be careful of this tempting bet, since the over seems perfectly doable for a running back of McCaffrey’s caliber, but you have to keep in mind that much of his production comes from his receptions, and that yardage won’t count towards this total.
In his three NFL seasons, McCaffrey only beat the over here once, and that was this last season when he posted 1,300+ yards on the ground, but the two seasons before the better bet was the under since his total rushing yardage was 1,098 in 2018 and just 435 his rookie season in 2017.

As far as consistent production goes, McCaffrey has shown that when you hand him the ball, he will move forward 4.7 yards on average, an impressive career number that will most likely improve now that the team’s recurring quarterback situation has finally been solved.

Panthers Settle on 2020 QB, McCaffrey Will Benefit

For the first time in a decade, the Carolina Panthers will not have quarterback Cam Newton under center, the chronically injured superstar released after the front office was unable to find another team willing to trade for him.

Now the team will start Teddy Bridgewater, the talented quarterback that was forced into the journeyman role after injuries caused him to lose time as a starter, his most recent gig backing up Drew Brees down in New Orleans for the Saints.

McCaffrey should benefit from having a solid veteran quarterback distributing the football this season since the number of and success of his touches depends directly on how well the offense is being managed, and Bridgewater can at the very least do that, if not become a serious factor that will distract defenses from McCaffrey.

McCaffrey, Panthers Division Just Got Tougher

Having to play in the NFC South has been difficult because it is the same division as the always productive Drew Brees and his winning New Orleans Saints who have placed first for three seasons in a row.

Now add to that legitimate rival list the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who just upgraded their playoff chances big time by signing GOAT quarterback Tom Brady and his now unretired tight end friend Rob Gronkowski, which instantly makes the team a threat to win the division now.

That won’t bother McCaffrey any – if Bridgewater and new head coach Matt Rhule just figure out how to repeatedly either hand or throw him the ball, he will most likely do what he’s been doing every year he’s played in the league, which is to move the ball forward despite the opposing team’s best efforts.

Pick: Take the over in this one, and do not get nervous during the first half of the season when Bridgewater and McCaffrey are ironing out all the newbie kinks. This duo should heat up during the final stretch.