What It Means:

By keeping McCaffrey off the injured reserve, Panthers head coach Matt Rhule implied that the running back could return in under three weeks, which would be a huge boon to both the Panthers, and to fantasy managers everywhere. McCaffrey almost certainly will not play in Week 4, but it looks like there is optimism regarding his health for the rest of the season.

With McCaffrey sidelined, the Panthers gave Chuba Hubbard the majority of their running back opportunities while working in former Denver Broncos back Royce Freeman behind Hubbard. The rookie toted the ball 11 times for 52 yards while adding 27 more yards on 3 catches, while the veteran 17 rushing yards on 5 carries with 1 catch for 8 yards. Hubbard will likely be one of the top waiver-wire pickups in fantasy football ahead of Week 4.