Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey's Thursday night was short lived.
The star back suffered a hamstring injury in the second quarter against the Texans. He was ruled out for the remainder of the contest and will miss the next few weeks, ultimately bypassing injured reserve.
The Panthers closed as 8-point favorites and the total at 43 (check real-time NFL odds here).
McCaffrey posted 20 or more carries in both games to open the season, notching his first rushing score last weekend in a win over the Saints.
Carolina took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a Sam Darnold touchdown run. The Panthers were 10.5-point live favorites at DraftKings right before the half, with a suppressed total of 31.5.
On BetMGM, McCaffrey was -225 to score a touchdown against Houston.
McCaffrey, a former standout at Stanford, played in only three games last season due to injury. His best season came back in 2019, when he notched more than 1,000 yards both on the ground and through the air.
His backup is Chuba Hubbard, who's rostered in only 17% of Yahoo fantasy leagues and 11.4% of ESPN leagues. The rookie picked up eight carries in Week 2.
The Action Network's Sean Koerner had this to say about the Oklahoma State product:
Fourth-round pick Chuba Hubbard can channel 2020 Mike Davis production if ever asked to start for an injured CMC, though. Hubbard can handle a 15- to 20-touch role and would be a low-end RB2 option in that scenario. I would expect Rodney Smith and Reggie Bonnafon to chip in as change-of-pace options, but don’t view either of them as draft-able.
Koerner notes that if McCaffrey misses time, Royce Freeman would serve as the Panthers' change-of-pace back.
Carolina, which covered in both wins this season, is on the road in Week 4 against the Dallas Cowboys.
