McCaffrey (hamstring) was activated off injured reserve Saturday and will be eligible to play Sunday against the Patriots.
The Panthers had remained hopeful throughout the week McCaffrey would make his long-awaited return to the active roster, so this is obviously fantastic news and removes any ambiguity regarding his status moving forward. It's unclear if the star running back will immediately get his full workload, especially considering coach Matt Rhule was uncertain McCaffrey would even be available for Sunday's matchup. Backup Chuba Hubbard has put together an admirable performance in place of the multi-talented McCaffrey over the last five weeks, to the point where it's possible a more defined workload split could emerge in subsequent games.