Carolina Panthers running back Christian
McCaffrey suffered a hamstring injury during the NFL game against the Houston Texans
at the NRG Stadium on Thursday. The 25-year-old was involved in a two-yard run
early in the second quarter with the Panthers leading 7-0, soon after which he
pulled up to the medical tent with an issue.

He spent a considerable amount of time in
the tent before emerging with trainers. The encouraging sign for Panthers fans
was that he was able to walk without assistance. However, the discouraging sign
was how quickly he was ruled out for the rest of the Thursday Night game.

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But that could also be a precautionary
measure to prevent further complications. McCaffrey is the top-ranked running
back in the league, with 324 scrimmage yards so far this season. So far, he has
had 45 carries for 170 yards and 14 receptions for 154 yards.

McCaffrey also had an injury-hit season
last year, when he featured in just three games and recorded five touchdowns
and a combined 374 rushing and receiving yards.

Here are three replacements for McCaffrey for
the duration of his injury this season.

1. Chuba Hubbard

The instant fix to McCaffrey’s injury will
be to replace him with his teammate Chuba Hubbard, who took over as the lead
back after his injury on Thursday night. Hubbard is making his NFL debut this season,
after the Panthers selected him in the fourth round (126th overall)
in the 2021 NFL draft.

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His 2020 college football season was cut
short due to injury, but he recorded 2,094 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns for
the Oklahoma State Cowboys back in 2019.

2. Derrick Henry

Tennessee Titans’ Dalvin Cook is ranked as the
third best running back in the NFL and the top-performer so far this season. The 27-year-old has so far recorded 120 rushing
yards per game so far this season, the most among running backs, as well as 37
receiving yards per game. He also has three rushing touchdowns so far this season.

3. Joe Mixon

Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Mixon has been a revelation
so far this season, ranking second in terms of output among running backs. He
has 98 rushing yards per game this season, with one rushing touchdown. He also
has 5 receptions so far, for 25 receiving yards.