How Does Baker Mayfield Trade Impact Christian McCaffrey Props?

The Carolina Panthers have acquired quarterback Baker Mayfield from the Cleveland Browns, but how does his impact running back Christian McCaffrey’s rushing yard props?

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Christian McCaffrey Rushing Yards Props

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The Panthers and QB Cam Newton made the playoffs and went 11-5 during McCaffrey’s rookie season in 2017, but his 117 carries were third on the team that year behind Jonathan Stewart (198) and Newton (139).

While it’s been all downhill for Carolina since, McCaffrey took tremendous steps in 2018 with 1,965 yards from scrimmage, including 1,098 on the ground.

Of course, McCaffrey's 2019 campaign was tremendous, as he led the NFL in touches and yards from scrimmage with 403 and 2,392, respectively. He also ran for a career-high 1,387.

Journeyman QB Kyle Allen started 12 games for the Panthers that year, so QB play clearly didn’t have a huge influence on McCaffrey’s ability to pad his yardage statistics.

Injuries have, though.

McCaffrey has been limited to just 10 games over the past two seasons, so his durability has to be in question entering the 2022 campaign.

Furthermore, at 5-foot-11, 205 pounds, touching the ball 403 times during the historic 2019 season was probably shortsighted for McCaffrey’s long-term health. 

Fast forward to the addition of Mayfield, and it probably has less of a significant impact on McCaffrey’s 2022 statistical outlook in comparison to him simply being able to avoid missing time.

The Panthers could opt to lessen the workload for McCaffrey to keep him healthy. However, the drop in touches and targets isn’t likely to be drastic enough to have a notable effect on his final statistics.

If McCaffrey’s healthy, he will take a run at his rushing yards total, regardless of who’s starting behind center.

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