McCaffrey took increased snaps as a slot receiver in the Panthers' practices this week and could see more use in that role Sunday against the Jets, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
The Panthers are starved for depth at wideout following Curtis Samuel's season-ending ankle injury, so having McCaffrey -- who has already hauled in 57 passes for 433 yards and three scores in 10 games -- assume some reps in the slot could help fill the void to some degree. It's still expected that McCaffrey will see the majority of his snaps out of the backfield, but head coach Ron Rivera may make a concerted effort to keep both the rookie and Jonathan Stewart on the field together more frequently. After struggling for much of the season, Stewart broke out in the Panthers' most recent game Nov. 13 against the Dolphins, rumbling for 110 yards on 17 carries.