The Panthers will start QB P.J. Walker again Thursday night against the Falcons. Walker got pulled for Baker Mayfield at halftime of Sunday's lopsided to the Bengals, and Carolina activated QB Sam Darnold from IR on Monday morning. But the short week leading up to their next game likely contributed to the decision not to make a starter switch. Walker, of course, threw for 317 yards in the Week 8 win at Atlanta. Keep in mind, though, that he only completed 52.8% of his passes in that game and generated 62 of his yards on the single Hail Mary-style throw to WR D.J. Moore at the end of regulation. We'd still try not to use Walker in fantasy football lineups. We'll see about the team's QB plans beyond Week 10.

The Panthers activated QB Sam Darnold (ankle) from IR. He's been practicing for a couple of weeks but is now evidently ready for game action. We'll see who Carolina goes with at QB vs. the Falcons this weekend. QB P.J. Walker was benched at halftime of the loss to the Bengals. QB Baker Mayfield played his best football of the season over the 2nd half, completing 14 of 20 passes for 155 yards, 2 TDs and 0 INTs.

Panthers QB Baker Mayfield replaced QB P.J. Walker at halftime of Sunday's game vs. the Bengals. Carolina headed to the break down 35-0, with Walker 3-of-10 for 9 yards, 0 TDs and 2 TDs. We'll see how Mayfield fares and in which direction the Panthers go at QB the rest of the way.

Panthers interim HC Steve Wilks said Monday that QB P.J. Walker will start this weekend's game vs. the Falcons, even if QBs Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold are ready to return from their ankle injuries. Walker was efficient in Sunday's shocking win over the Bucs, completing 16 of 22 passes (73%) for 177 yards (8.1 YPA), 2 TDs and 0 INTs. Most importantly, he got WR D.J. Moore going. The pair connected on 7 of 10 targets for 69 yards and 1 score. Walker remains a bottom-barrel fantasy option, but Moore is back in the WR3 mix for Week 8.

The Panthers list QB Baker Mayfield (ankle) as doubtful for Sunday's game vs. the Bucs. Interim HC Steve Wilks already named QB P.J. Walker the starter for that one. But it looks like Mayfield might be ready to return for Week 8. Fantasy owners, of course, can continue to avoid the situation.

Panthers QB Sam Darnold (ankle) has been designated to return from IR and will return to practice this week. With QBs Baker Mayfield and P.J. Walker both banged up and playing horribly, we'll likely get Darnold back in our lives at some point this season. Of course, you can leave him on the waiver wire in fantasy leagues.

Panthers QB Baker Mayfield (ankle) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Rams. QB P.J. Walker gets the start, with QB Jacob Eason backing him up.

The Panthers are listing QB Baker Mayfield (ankle) as doubtful for Sunday's game vs. the Rams. Interim HC Steve Wilks said Friday that Mayfield might be active as the backup but confirmed that QB P.J. Walker will get the start.

Panthers QB Baker Mayfield suffered a high-ankle sprain in Sunday's loss to the 49ers, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "That means he’ll miss time, but how much will be determined by more tests and opinions," Rapoport adds. With QB Sam Darnold still out with his own ankle injury, Carolina will turn to QB P.J. Walker. The 27-year-old owns a 57% completion rate and 6.2 yards-per-attempt average on 128 NFL passes. So, as bad as Mayfield has been, don't expect Walker to be an upgrade.

The Panthers fired HC Matt Rhule. His former team is sitting at 1-4 after going 10-23 over his first 2 seasons. Carolina's ranks in total yards: 21st, 30th and 32nd. Defensive Pass Game Coordinator/Secondary Coach Steve Wilks will take over as interim HC, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. He was HC for the Cardinals' 3-13 2018 season. It sounds like OC Ben McAdoo will be sticking around. We're not expecting the change to help Carolina's floundering offense (although it can't hurt).

Panthers QB Baker Mayfield picked up a left ankle injury in Sunday's loss to the 49ers. We saw him lipping at the end of the 1st half, but he was able to return for the 2nd. Mayfield was in a walking boot after the game and said he was headed for a Monday MRI. We should learn more tomorrow. With QB Sam Darnold still out with his ankle injury, QB P.J. Walker is Carolina's backup.

Panthers QB Sam Darnold (ankle) is eligible to come off the IR this week but is expected to still be sidelined for "a while," a source tells ESPN's Adam Schefter. This is worth reporting because QB Baker Mayfield has been so bad through 4 games that we're all wondering whether Darnold might actually be an upgrade. Unfortunately, it looks like it'll be Mayfield for at least a few more games.

The Panthers officially named QB Baker Mayfield their starter. This was expected since Carolina swung a trade for Mayfield in early July. He started the preseason opener over QB Sam Darnold, going 4-of-7 for 45 yards on 1 series. Mayfield is just a lower-end QB2 for fantasy squads, but we expect him to be an upgrade over Darnold for RB Christian McCaffrey, WR D.J. Moore and the rest of the Panthers offense.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tweeted Friday that Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold “are still in a QB battle” for the starting job. Mayfield is believed to be the heavy favorite, but HC Matt Rhule hasn’t announced who’ll get the Week 1 nod vs. Cleveland.

The Panthers have announced that QB Baker Mayfield will start Saturday's preseason opener. This doesn't necessarily mean he's THE starter, but it sure seems like a signal that Mayfield holds at least a slight lead over incumbent Sam Darnold. And it comes less than a week after Ian Rapoport reported that Mayfield has the "inside track" to the gig. Mayfield is certainly our bet in this competition, and he's still going late enough to be a value in best-ball and superflex drafts.

Panthers OC Ben McAdoo said Tuesday that rookie QB Matt Corral is "slowly and quietly improving," according to Darin Gantt of the team website. "He has a unique skill set," the coach added. "He has some juice to him, personality wise." The trade for QB Baker Mayfield likely killed any shot Corral might have had at starting early in his rookie year. And this sounds like a coach offering measured optimism. Corral still makes for an interesting dynasty stash, with neither Mayfield nor Sam Darnold signed beyond this season.

QB Baker Mayfield has the "inside track" for the Panthers' starting job, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Mayfield and QB Sam Darnold have been splitting reps in camp, and that's expected to continue in the preseason, per Rapoport. "Based on the understanding [Mayfield] has of this offense, based on the kind of plays he can make, the kind of command he's already getting inside this locker room, it certainly does seem like it's Baker Mayfield's job to win," Rapoport says. We've projected Mayfield as Carolina's starter since the trade was made back in early July. Mayfield is just a low-end QB2 but should be an upgrade for RB Christian McCaffrey, WR D.J. Moore and the rest of the Panthers' skill-position guys.