CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey has missed 18 of the past 24 games because of injuries, including five straight because of a strained hamstring. Despite returning to practice Wednesday, there’s a decent chance he misses Sunday’s home game against the New England Patriots (1 p.m. ET, CBS).
He has become what ESPN injury analyst Stephania Bells calls the “poster child’’ for hamstring and other soft-tissue injuries, particularly the hamstring that is the NFL’s leading cause for missed time, according to Bell and the NFL.
Beyond McCaffrey, Tennessee Titans wide receivers Julio Jones and A.