Steve Smith caught 8 passes for 149 yards and a TD in the Monday night win over Tampa Bay, giving him 780 yards on the season with 7 games left. He could bust 1,500 for the second straight year -- and remember, he missed the first 2 games! Going back to Monday night, why Jon Gruden and Monte Kiffin thought nickel CB Torrie Cox could handle Smith one-on-one is mystifying. Smith burned him for catches of 21, 22, and the 36-yard TD. This week the Rams might be forced to use rookie CB Tye Hill on Smith - they lost veteran CB Travis Fisher - because Hill's the only one fast enough to stay with him deep. This 5'9 mega-star wideout leads all players with 12.2 targets per game and should finish with a flurry of TDs this year. The Panthers' schedule ranks as the easiest for fantasy WRs from here on out. Plus 3 of their next 5 are at home, with 2 indoor games to close the season.

Panthers WR Steve Smith vented a little after his team blew a double-digit lead for the second straight week vs. Dallas. "One of the reasons why [we lost] is you get up 14 points, sometimes we act like it's a hundred points," Smith said. He didn't mention that he dropped 2 passes and muffed a punt.

Panthers WR Steve Smith suffered a rib injury vs. the Bengals but was able to finish the game. FOX reported Smith had extra padding inserted under his jersey in the 3rd quarter. He caught 8 passes for 126 yards, proving what a warrior he truly is.

Panthers WR Steve Smith dropped easy TD passes from 6 yards (3rd quarter) and 1 yard out (4th quarter.) He still finished with 6 catches for 62 yards -- but jeez, Smith rarely ever drops the paydirt passes. He also prevented Jake Delhomme from having his first 3-TD game since October 2005.

Panthers WR Steve Smith (hamstring) practiced again Friday. After his Thursday workout he said: "It feels good. It feels better than what it has before. I'm getting [closer to] 100 percent." HC John Fox added that they really didn't limit Smith in team drills as they "just put it on him." Things are looking good. Maybe that trip to Dr. James Andrews was just seeking confirmation that the damage had repaired itself. We want to be optimistic because Smith makes this hobby more exciting.

Chris Mortensen says Steve Smith is "not a lock to play."

Steve Smith is not on the inactive list. That's one hurdle. He is warming up with teammates. That's another hurdle. It looks like he's going to play. Chris Mortensen just echoed FOX's John Czarnecki's "decoy" remarks so be guided accordingly.

Panthers HC John Fox just said WR Steve Smith was "doing fine, he's doing good" after Sunday's 7-catch/122-yard effort vs. Tampa Bay. Smith played 52 of 67 offensive plays. We saw him holding back a little on some plays but overall Smith-owners have got to be elated.

Panthers WR Steve Smith (hamstring) isn't expected to make the trip to Minnesota.

Steve Smith (hamstring) did not travel to Minnesota. Keyshawn Johnson starts across from Keary Colbert & Drew Carter.

The Tampa Tribune reports Panthers WR Steve Smith (hamstring), who has missed the first two games, is rumored to be "healthy enough to play but is disgruntled with his contract situation."

ESPN.com reports Panthers WR Steve Smith did some light running on a separate field Wednesday. "He's making progress," HC John Fox said. "We'll take it one day at a time. It was good to have him out there today. It's day to day. I'll talk to the trainers to see how it reacts after running around today."

Panthers WR Steve Smith (hamstring) practiced Thursday. It's looking good so far.

The Las Vegas injury lists have Panthers WR Steve Smith (hamstring) listed as probable. The official NFL injury report is released Wednesday. None of our sources have said anything negative about Smith's practices lately. We suspect he's A-OK.

Panthers WR Steve Smith is listed as questionable after pulling his right hamstring. The left hamstring was the one bothering him all month. HC John Fox said he suffered the injury in practice Tuesday. "He tweaked his other hamstring and we rested him today," Fox said. "We'll see how he looks tomorrow." Smith did not practice today. Ouch. Now we're forced to shave Steve's (and Jake Delhomme's) projections a bit. Timing is an issue, even if/when the leg is healed. Plus he had a surgical procedure on his toenail Aug. 17th.

Panthers QB Jake Delhomme says WR Steve Smith (both hamstrings) will play Sunday. "I kind of know what kind of guy Steve Smith is," said Delhomme. "I expect to see him out there on Sunday." We suspect he'll play too. But can he rip it out full-speed?

Steve Smith (hamstring) missed practice Thursday. This is not great news. Jake Delhomme believes Smith will play but that doesn't mean he'll be 100%.

Sal Paolantonio of ESPN reported Carolina will wait until the last second to announce Steve Smith's status. Our hunch? He's not going to play.

Panthers WR Steve Smith (hamstrings) is inactive today. Keary Colbert and Drew Carter are both sneaky flex-plays. Keyshawn Johnson was already a solid fantasy starter.

Panthers HC John Fox didn't give a clear answer when asked if Steve Smith (hamstring) would practice Wednesday. "We'll evaluate him day-to-day, and when he's deemed healthy, he'll be out there," Fox said. "Until then, it will be more of the same." If we don't get some better news on Smith soon we'll have to really talk.