In his second year in the league, Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey has become the NFL's ultimate offensive weapon. Having already broken the Panthers' franchise record for yards from scrimmage in a single season, McCaffrey stands at 979 rushing yards and 768 receiving yards on the season, giving him a staggering total of 1,747 yards from scrimmage with two games left to play. McCaffrey finishing the season with 2,000+ yards from scrimmage is far from outside of the realm of possibility, and it appears almost certain that McCaffrey will have rushed for 1,000+ yards and caught 100+ passes by season's end.

So what does that mean for McCaffrey at Pro Bowl time? Apparently, it means he's been good enough - to become a second alternate to the game.

When the NFL announced the Pro Bowl roster for the 2018 season, McCaffrey was one of the most jarring omissions in the NFC, as Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley, New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley, and Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott were all named to the game instead of him. Though McCaffrey will likely be able to make it into the game by virtue of players withdrawals, he said in the Panthers' locker room on Wednesday that his exclusion from the main roster "is what it is".

"It’s been my whole life," said McCaffrey in a report by Max Henson of the Panthers. "Nothing new."

From his days at the college level, McCaffrey has unfortunately become used to being snubbed. In 2015, McCaffrey was the runner-up in Heisman Trophy voting, as he was passed over in favor of Derrick Henry (now with the Tennessee Titans) despite gaining nearly 4,000 all-purpose yards. Then, the next year, McCaffrey wasn't even named a finalist for the award.

Entering his second year in the NFL, McCaffrey's season dawned with him having to give an answer to questions about whether or not he could truly be an every-down, all-purpose back at the professional level. Those questions were answered with feeling in Week Three, when he rushed for 184 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals.

After that game, McCaffrey stated that he was concerned with proving himself right more than he was with proving anybody else wrong. And in the face of disappointment, he still maintains that approach.

"I’ll continue to use that as a chip, continue to use it as fuel to my fire," said McCaffrey.

Being a second alternate to a game that many players end up missing due to Super Bowl bids, injuries, and the like, McCaffrey's chances of joining teammates Luke Kuechly and Trai Turner as Pro Bowlers are still rather good. Not only that, but McCaffrey's level of production is almost certain to put him in the mix for All-Pro honors.