Carolina Panthers Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Panthers RB Miles Sanders (shoulder) missed practice again on Thursday. He's in real danger of missing this weekend's game vs. the Dolphins. Sanders' absence would leave Chuba Hubbard as Carolina's lead back -- and a lower-end, volume-based fantasy starter. Check back tomorrow for another update on Sanders.

Panthers HC Frank Reich told reporters Wednesday that RB Miles Sanders won't be practicing Wednesday because he "came out of the game with a little something" in his shoulder, according to Darin Gantt of the team website. Assuming the team didn't find buried treasure in that joint, Sanders is adding some sort of shoulder injury to a groin issue that has bothered him on several occasions already this year. We'll see how he progresses through the practice week, but Chuba Hubbard could be in for another solid share of backfield work in Week 6. He's worth holding -- or a modest waiver buy -- this week. No Panthers RB will be exciting against the Dolphins, however.

Steelers WR Diontae Johnson (hamstring) expects to be ready to play Week 7, following the team's Week 6 bye. Johnson has been on IR since going down with a hamstring injury in Week 2. He managed just a 3-48-0 line in the Week 1 blowout loss to the 49ers but will return as a big part of Pittsburgh's passing game. It'll be interesting to see how big a target share Johnson claims after WR George Pickens' success in his absence.

Panthers WR Adam Thielen posted a team-leading 107 yards with a TD on 10 catches in Week 5 vs. the Lions. Fellow wideout D.J. Chark also found the end zone in the contest, but it’s rookie WR Jonathan Mingo that deserves a shoutout here. Mingo ranked second on the team in targets (7) and posted a season-high 48 receiving yards in the contest. Thielen is the only Panthers’ pass-catcher we’d be excited to start in Week 6 vs. the Dolphins, but Mingo is a name to keep an eye on in redraft leagues.

Panthers RB Miles Sanders lost a fumble and took a backseat to teammate Chuba Hubbard in Week 5’s loss vs. the Lions. The veteran still has a groin injury that he's working through, so it makes sense that Carolina spread the wealth around. Sanders only logged 7 carries for 32 yards, though Hubbard’s 9 attempts for 35 yards weren’t much better. Neither RB was effective in the contest against the Lions’ stout run D. It also didn’t help matters that WR Laviska Shenault Jr. siphoned off 5 carries, but sometimes weird stuff happens. It’s possible both Sanders and Hubbard could be viable deeper league options in a much better matchup vs. the Dolphins in Week 6.

Panthers QB Bryce Young totaled 25 completions on 41 attempts for 247 passing yards with 3 TDs and 2 INTs in Week 5 vs. the Lions. After tossing his pair of INTs in the first half of the contest, the rookie turned his play around considerably and ended the fourth quarter with back-to-back 75-yard scoring drives. Those efforts weren’t enough to pull out a victory, but fantasy managers can be happy with 18.3 points in 4-point passing TD scoring. Next week, Young will have a tough test against the Dolphins.

Panthers WR Jonathan Mingo (concussion) put in a full week of practice and isn’t listed on the final Week 5 injury report. He’ll be back for Sunday’s game vs. the Lions. The rookie totaled 19 targets but just eight catches over the first three games of the season.

Panthers RB Miles Sanders (groin) is not listed on the final Week 5 injury report. He practiced all week, including a full workout on Friday. It's an upgrade over last week, when Sanders got in just two limited practices and was listed as questionable. We expect Sanders to re-take the backfield lead vs. the Lions this weekend after being out-snapped by RB Chuba Hubbard last week.

Broncos LB Josey Jewell (hip) returned to full practice Thursday. That certainly points to him playing Sunday against the Jets, after missing Week 4. We should get confirmation Friday afternoon, but plan to have Jewell available for your IDP lineups. Jewell's return figures to knock down LB Drew Sanders' playing time. We'll see exactly what the rookie's role looks like, though. He was pegged for an increased role in the Week 3 loss to the Dolphins that Jewell left early with the injury.

Broncos LB Josey Jewell (hip) and S Justin Simmons (hip) each put in limited practices Wednesday. Both players missed Week 4, so we'll need to watch their participation through the week. This marks improvement for Jewell, who missed Wednesday and Thursday practices last week. Simmons opened Week 4 limited as well.

Panthers RB Miles Sanders (groin) was limited in Wednesday's practice. He was limited last Wednesday and Thursday, didn't practice on Friday, and then played a season-low 43% of the offensive snaps in the loss to the Vikings. We'll see how Sanders progresses throughout this week, but he'll be a shaky fantasy play if he doesn't get in a full practice on Thursday or Friday.

Panthers WR Adam Thielen snagged 7 receptions for 76 yards in Sunday's loss to the Vikings. He trailed Terrace Marshall in targets (10-8) and catches but led the team in receiving yards. It was Thielen's third straight game with at least 7 receptions, despite two straight QB switches thanks to Bryce Young's ankle injury (and return). Thielen should remain a WR3 option for visits to Detroit and Miami the next two weeks. We'll see whether the team adds anyone significant at the position. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Carolina is shopping for WR help. D.J. Chark managed just 2 receptions for 28 yards on 3 targets against the Vikings.

Panthers WR Terrace Marshall led the team in targets (10) and receptions (9) in Sunday's loss to the Vikings. He tallied 56 yards (6.2 per catch). Marshall got a boost from rookie WR Jonathan Mingo being out but still trailed WR Adam Thielen by 10 routes and D.J. Chark by 11. We wouldn't go chasing Marshall in fantasy, especially with Mingo set to return soon from his concussion and the Panthers reportedly shopping for a WR, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Panthers RB Miles Sanders saw his playing time limited in Sunday's loss to Minnesota. He played six fewer snaps than Chuba Hubbard and trailed his teammate in routes and carries. Sanders gained just 19 yards on his 13 rushes (1.5 per carry). He caught all 3 targets but managed only 13 yards. Hubbard ran for 41 yards on 14 rushes (2.9 per carry) and caught both of his targets for 12 yards. Sanders didn't practice much leading up to the game, thanks to a groin injury that rendered him questionable. We'll see if HC Frank Reich signals any role shift or improvement in Sanders' injury ahead of a Week 5 visit to Detroit.

Eagles RB Rashaad Penny is a healthy scratch for today's game vs. the Commanders. With RB Boston Scott back from his concussion, Penny sinks back down to fourth on Philly's depth chart.

Panthers WR Jonathan Mingo (concussion) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Vikings. That should leave WR D.J. Chark in an every-down role alongside WR Adam Thielen.

Panthers RB Miles Sanders (groin) is active for today’s game vs. the Vikings. He went from limited practices on Wednesday and Thursday to no practice on Friday. But Reich said Friday that he was "optimistic" that Sanders would be able to play. And NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said this morning that there would be “no issues” for Sanders. He seems reasonably safe to get into fantasy lineups.

Panthers RB Miles Sanders (groin) is expected to play vs. the Vikings today, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "No issues," Rapoport adds. It sounds like Sanders is safe to keep in Week 4 fantasy lineups. He ranks 15th in carries and first in targets among RBs through three weeks.

Panthers WR Jonathan Mingo (concussion) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game vs. the Vikings. He remained limited in practice all week, so he still has multiple stages of the protocol to pass through. We’ll look for further updates on Mingo’s status and get Carolina’s inactives around 11:30 am ET on Sunday. D.J. Chark will be Carolina’s clear No. 2 WR if Mingo sits.

Panthers RB Miles Sanders (groin) is listed as questionable for this weekend's game vs. the Vikings. He went from limited practices on Wednesday and Thursday to no practice on Friday, which is obviously worrisome. But HC Frank Reich said Friday that he's "optimistic" that Sanders will be able to play this weekend. We'll look for further updates on the situation and get Carolina's inactives around 11:30 am ET on Sunday. Chuba Hubbard would step in as Carolina's lead back if Sanders is out.