David Newton of ESPN.com suggests McCaffrey (ankle) may not return until Week 8 against the Falcons on Thursday, Oct. 29.
The Panthers opted not to activate McCaffrey from injured reserve this week, despite the running back reaching the three-week minimum. Because of his prognosis of 4-to-6 weeks to recover from his high right ankle sprain, he also could sit out Week 7 at New Orleans, especially with a game four days later. In any case, Carolina can open his 21-day window to return at any point moving forward, and the team likely wants to see how he holds up in practice before making a decision to add him back to the active roster. While McCaffrey continues his rehab, Mike Davis will handle backfield duties for the Panthers.