Carolina Panthers Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Panthers WR Adam Thielen racked up an 11-145-1 receiving line in Sunday's loss to the Seahawks. Carolina went surprisingly pass-heavy, attempting 58 throws (plus 3 sacks) vs. just 14 rushing attempts. Thielen drew 24.1% of fill-in QB Andy Dalton's pass attempts and produced 40.2% of the receiving yardage. Thielen now has 18 catches over the past two games after a quiet opener. Don't be surprised if he sits among the top 30 wideouts in our Week 4 rankings, for a matchup with his old team, the Vikings. WR D.J. Chark ranked second among Panthers in targets (11) and receiving yards (86) against Seattle. He managed just 4 receptions, though, and did most of his damage on a 47-yard catch-and-run TD. Terrace Marshall posted a 5-35 receiving line on 8 targets, in a game WR Jonathan Mingo left with a concussion.

Panthers RB Miles Sanders ran just nine times for 24 yards in Sunday's loss to the Seahawks. He scored a TD, though, and caught five of 9 targets (for 38 yards) to save his fantasy line. Carolina went extremely pass-heavy, handing off on just 16% of offensive snaps. Sanders controlled backfield work, getting 75% of RB carries and 75% of RB targets. He should remain a decent play for a fine Week 4 matchup with the Vikings.

Panthers WR Jonathan Mingo was knocked out of Sunday's game vs. the Seahawks with a concussion. We'll track his progress through the protocol this coming week. His absence should mean more snaps for WR D.J. Chark.

The Athletic's Joe Person writes that the Panthers don't expect QB Bryce Young to miss "more than a game or two" with his ankle injury. We already know that the rookie will miss Sunday's game vs. the Seahawks, and it sounds like there's a chance he also misses Week 4's meeting with the Vikings. We'll keep you updated on his recovery. QB Andy Dalton is a capable backup who might even prove to be a short-term upgrade over Young for this Panthers offense.

Panthers QB Bryce Young (ankle) is not expected to play vs. the Seahawks this weekend, the team announced. That'll leave QB Andy Dalton under center, which might actually be an upgrade at this point. Young has struggled mightily so far, completing 59% of his passes and averaging 4.2 yards per attempt. Dalton played well for New Orleans last year, finishing with a 67% completion rate and 7.6 yards per attempt. Hopefully you're not relying too much on this passing game in fantasy lineups, but WR Adam Thielen and TE Hayden Hurst remain fine lower-end plays.

Panthers QB Bryce Young (ankle) will miss practice again on Thursday, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Young seems to be in real danger of missing this weekend's game vs. the Seahawks. His absence would leave QB Andy Dalton under center. We'll get another update on Young's status tomorrow.

Panthers QB Bryce Young missed Wednesday's practice with an ankle injury. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport tweets that Young got the ankle "checked out" after Monday night's loss to the Saints. We'll keep an eye on the rookie's status over the next few days, but hopefully he wasn't in your Week 3 plans. The Panthers on Wednesday added QB Jake Luton to their practice squad, but QB Andy Dalton would get the Week 3 start if Young is out.

Panthers LB Shaq Thompson left Monday night's game against the Saints with an injury to his right shin. He's doubtful to return. We'll see about Thompson's status heading into Week 3.

Update: NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that HC Frank Reich said Thompson suffered a "significant" ankle injury. Thompson is expected to miss the rest of the season, though he'll have further tests Tuesday.

The Steelers announced on Monday that WR Diontae Johnson (hamstring) is being placed on IR. The veteran wideout will now miss at least the next 4 games of the season. Johnson sustained this injury during the second half of Week 1 vs. the 49ers and didn't return to the contest. He also hadn't participated in practice at any point this week leading up to the Steelers' Week 2 primetime game vs. the Browns. Without Johnson in tow, the Steelers will look to see increased efforts from WRs Allen Robinson and Calvin Austin. Neither player is worth considering in most 10 or 12-team formats, though they are decent speculative deeper league adds. Expect to see a small bump in responsibility for TE Pat Freiermuth to supplement Johnson's contributions as a lower aDOT player in the Steelers' offense.

Steelers WR Diontae Johnson (hamstring) has been ruled out for Monday night's game vs. the Browns. Insider Gerry Dulac reported earlier this week that Johnson is expected to miss four weeks, although he hasn't been placed on IR. That means the Steelers think Johnson has a chance to be back before four weeks. WR George Pickens was added to the injury report on Saturday with a hamstring and limited in practice. But he has no game designation, so he's expected to play vs. Cleveland. Pickens, Allen Robinson, and Calvin Austin will be Pittsburgh's top three WRs with Johnson out.

Eagles RB Rashaad Penny was active for Thursday night's game vs. the Vikings, but you wouldn't have known it for most of the game. His first offensive touch didn't come until late in the third quarter -- after RB Boston Scott exited for a concussion check, and after RB D'Andre Swift had already racked up 18 carries. Penny wound up with three carries for nine yards, plus one catch for five yards. It's clear at this point that Penny is currently fourth on Philadelphia's RB depth chart. The only thing that makes Penny worth keeping stashed in deeper fantasy leagues is that both Scott and RB Kenneth Gainwell (ribs) are injured. But Penny might also need a Swift injury to find fantasy relevance.

Steelers insider Gerry Dulac hears that WR Diontae Johnson is expected to miss four weeks with his hamstring injury. If that's the case, we could see Johnson land on IR on Saturday. He's still worth keeping stashed on fantasy benches. Johnson's absence opens up opportunity for WRs George Pickens, Allen Robinson, and Calvin Austin, plus TE Pat Freiermuth.

Steelers WR Diontae Johnson is expected to miss “a few weeks” with a hamstring injury, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Allen Robinson led the Steelers in targets and yards on Sunday. But for now, George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth remain the only pass catchers worth using in fantasy lineups. Just note: Week 2 turns up a tough test vs. a Browns defense that just dominated the Bengals.

Panthers RB Miles Sanders overcame a fumble to post 98 total yards on 22 touches. He lost out on 9 carries and 2 targets to Chuba Hubbard, who posted the more efficient day (6.7 YPC to 4.0). Still, we’re encouraged by Sanders’ use in the passing game, where he finished 2nd on the team in catches. He’ll need improvement from Bryce Young to boost the scoring outlook. But we expect the top pick to improve as he gains experience. Sanders will face a Saints run D that allowed 5.0 YPC to Derrick Henry and Tyjae Spears in the opener.

Steelers WR Diontae Johnson logged 3 catches on 6 targets for 48 receiving yards in Sunday’s loss vs. the 49ers. He looked to be on his way to leading the team in receiving prior to a third-quarter hamstring injury that saw him exit the contest for good. TE Pat Freiermuth caught a 3-yard TD at the end of the first half (his only catch on 4 targets) before being forced out of the game due to a chest injury. It’ll be vital for fantasy managers to stay on top of the injury reports this week in case either play misses Week 2 vs. the Browns. WRs Calvin Austin III (6 catches, 37 yards) and Allen Robinson (5 catches, 64 yards) both saw a lot of involvement by the end of Week 1, so perhaps they’ll be names to keep an eye on for waiver wire consideration.

Steelers WR Diontae Johnson went down with a hamstring injury in the third quarter of Sunday's game vs. the 49ers and was quickly ruled out. That doesn't bode well for his status going forward. Stay tuned for an update on Johnson's injury.

Eagles RB Rashaad Penny is a healthy scratch for today's game vs. the Patriots. It'll be D'Andre Swift, Kenneth Gainwell, and Boston Scott in the backfield for Philly today. We'd still keep Penny stashed in fantasy leagues of 12+ teams.

The Philadelphia Enquirer reports that Eagles RB Rashaad Penny is expected to be a healthy scratch for today's opener vs. the Patriots. That'd leave the backfield to RBs D'Andre Swift, Kenneth Gainwell, and Boston Scott.

Panthers WR Adam Thielen (ankle) is active for today’s game vs. the Falcons. He only got in limited practices on Wednesday and Friday and was listed as questionable. It’s safe to assume that Thielen won’t be operating at 100% in this one, leaving him as a shaky fantasy bet.

Panthers WR Adam Thielen (ankle) is expected to play vs. the Falcons on Sunday, NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe reports. Thielen only got in limited practices on Wednesday and Friday this week, so it's safe to assume that he won't be at 100%. He sits in WR4 territory in the Week 1 Rankings.