Panthers DE Charles Johnson (quad) and LB Thomas Davis (hamstring) are active for tonight's game against the Bucs after entering today questionable. They're OK to use in IDP leagues if you've waited to this point.

Panthers OLB Thomas Davis left Sunday's loss to the Falcons with a hamstring injury and did not return. He was seen riding a stationary bike on the sideline, so we doubt it's too serious an injury. But we'll look for a further update on his outlook this week.

Panthers DE Charles Johnson (quad) is active for today's game against the Falcons. He remains a marginal IDP option at best, though.

Panthers DE Charles Johnson is questionable for Sunday with a quad injury. He sat out Friday's practice after being limited Thursday. At this point, Johnson's not a big enough IDP producer when healthy to be worth starting through an iffy injury situation.

Panthers DE Kony Ealy is in the league concussion protocol, according to the Charlotte Observer. He reportedly took a helmet-to-helmet hit in Saturday's practice. Expect Carolina to take its time getting him back onto the field this early in camp. Ealy's important to the defense, as he'll take over the starting right end spot this season. He carries intriguing IDP upside after stepping up as a pass rusher in the 2nd half of last season.

The Panthers signed former Duke S Jeremy Cash as a priority free agent after the draft and promptly listed him at LB. The ACC defensive player of the year for 2015 carried a "tweener" label into the NFL Draft and might have ultimately gone unpicked because of a rash of injuries from Duke's bowl game through workout season. But Cash delivered 335 tackles over 3 seasons after transferring from Ohio State, plus 38 tackles for loss, 8 sacks, 9 forced fumbles and 5 INTs. According to the Charlotte Observer, Carolina plans to use him as a situational player in a LB-S hybrid role that's growing in popularity around the league. We'll see what kind of playing time that ultimately produces, but Cash's college production and solid NFL landing spot makes him worth a look near the end of IDP dynasty rookie drafts.

The Panthers grabbed DT Vernon Butler from Louisiana Tech with the 30th pick of the 2016 NFL Draft. Butler joins a rotation led by Star Lotulelei and Kawann Short, which leaves little room for IDP production.

The Panthers on Wednesday rescinded their franchise tag on CB Josh Norman. That all but guarantees he'll sign with another team. It's clear the team wasn't willing to match Norman's asking price, but the market for corners this offseason -- Janoris Jenkins signed a 5-year, $62.5 million deal with the Giants -- suggests he'll get what he's seeking. We'll see who pays up and how the Panthers replace the league's top cover man for 2015.

DE Charles Johnson agreed to a 1-year, $3 million deal with the Panthers on Tuesday, according to ESPN. That's certainly less than Johnson could have gotten elsewhere, but he told ESPN's Josina Anderson that he "wouldn't have been happy if I went somewhere else." Barring a big free-agent signing or high draft pick at the position, Johnson should remain Carolina's starting left DE in 2016.

The Panthers on Thursday released veteran DE Charles Johnson to clear $11 million in cap space. According to ESPN.com, a league source said the team might seek to re-sign him in free agency. Johnson has long been a pass-rushing force for Carolina, but he tallied just 1 sack while losing 7 games to injury last season. He'll turn 30 in July and has seen the dings pile up in recent years. Perhaps more importantly, Johnson was set to count $15 million against the 2016 cap. We'll see where he lands before projecting his IDP outlook. Johnson has performed much better in sack-heavy scoring vs. those formats that favor tackles. The Panthers are optimistic for DE Kony Ealy going forward but must address the position further this offseason.

The Panthers on Tuesday made the unsurprising move of placing the franchise tag on CB Josh Norman. The young corner emerged as 1 of the league's top cover men in 2015, to the point that it hurt his fantasy value after a hot start. Don't expect Norman to turn into an IDP asset unless he starts allowing more completions. Do expect Carolina to work hard on a long-term deal before the July deadline to agree on one. His continued presence can obviously only help the value of the Panthers' team D

Panthers MLB Luke Kuechly will have surgery on his left shoulder after playing through a torn labrum this postseason. Kuechly reportedly suffered the injury in the 1st half of the Week 17 win over Tampa Bay yet never missed so much as a practice the rest of the way. The team expects him to be ready in time for training camp, according to ESPN.com.

Panthers LB Thomas Davis had surgery Monday to repair the right forearm fracture that knocked him out of Sunday's win over the Cardinals. The doesn't necessarily knock him out for the Super Bowl, though. "My understanding is if everything goes well it is something he can mostly certainly play with," Panthers coach Ron Rivera said Monday, according to The Associated Press. "So we are excited about that possibility." Davis' absence would take away 1 of Carolina's top playmakers, but that didn't seem to hurt the Panthers too much in their NFC title game beatdown.

The Panthers have ruled DE Jared Allen out for Sunday's NFC Championship game against the Cardinals because of the foot fracture he suffered vs. Seattle. That's expected to push Kony Ealy into the starting lineup and gives him some sleeper appeal for those still playing IDP fantasy football leagues. Losing Allen shouldn't deliver too hard a blow to the Panthers D. He hadn't registered a sack since Week 8 and tallied just 2 QB hits over the final 6 regular-season games. But Allen did rack up 3 hits against Russell Wilson last Sunday. Ealy produced 5 sacks and 10 total QB hits as mostly a part-timer in his 2nd season.

Panthers S Kurt Coleman (foot) is doubtful for Sunday's finale against the Bucs. That takes a starting IDP option out of fantasy lineups but doesn't alter the outlook for the Panthers' team D.

The Panthers expect to activate DE Charles Johnson from short-term IR Tuesday and have him available for Thursday's game at Dallas. The team's top pass rusher has been out since suffering a hamstring injury in Week 3. "I’m coming in humble," Johnson said, according to the team website. "We have a lot of talent on our D-line and I’m just trying to be another piece of that. I’m not coming in with the attitude to try and go crazy. I’m going to work my way back into it, work my way back to where I want to be. Whatever my role is I am going to max it out." We can't expect a full workload right away, which obviously limits the upside for Johnson as a Week 12 IDP option. We'll keep an eye on his snap counts, though, and see if he can return to full-time use down the stretch. Carolina's position strongly atop the NFC in the playoff race might make it easier for the team to ease him back and have him fresh for the postseason -- which would be bad news for his IDP value. His return in any capacity can only help the Panthers' team D, though.

NFL Network's Rand Getlin reports that Panthers MLB Luke Kuechly has cleared the league concussion protocol and is "feeling great." The injury cost Kuechly the past 3 games, but he should be a full go for Sunday's visit to Seattle. Carolina's middle man is an every-week IDP starter when healthy. Fill-in A.J. Klein will now return to a reserve role.

The Panthers have ruled MLB Luke Kuechly out for Sunday's game in Tampa. He still has yet to be cleared by doctors since a Week 1 concussion. This is starting to look like a worrisome situation for Kuechly's long-term outlook.

The Panthers on Tuesday placed DE Charles Johnson on IR with the designation to return because of the hamstring strain he suffered against the Saints on Sunday. That means Johnson won't be eligible to return before Thanksgiving Day at Dallas. We suspected a fairly serious injury here after Carolina traded for Jared Allen on Monday. Johnson's absence -- along with the Week 3 demotion of 2nd-year DE Kony Ealy -- creates immediate, obvious opportunity for Allen. He'll carry a lot more IDP value if your league-hosting site adds a DL designation or just changes his position. Losing Johnson certainly hurts the team D, though we'll see just how much. The Panthers looked more like a matchup start for fantasy football anyway.