D.J. Moore Injury Updates | Shark Bites

Bears WR D.J. Moore (ankle) returned to a limited practice on Thursday. That should have him on track to play vs. the Browns this weekend, but we'll see how he's listed on the final injury report tomorrow.

Bears QB Justin Fields made his return from a thumb injury in Week 11 vs. Detroit. He instantly paid off for fantasy managers, posting 169-1 passing and 104 rushing yards on 18(!) attempts. (Those 18 attempts matched a career-high.) His lone score came on a beautiful deep ball to D.J. Moore, who led the team with 9 targets, 7 catches, and 96 yards. Week 12 turns up a neutral matchup vs. the Vikings, followed by a Week 13 bye. Fields will be a no-doubt QB1 down the stretch, especially for matchups with Detroit (Week 14), Arizona (Week 16) and Atlanta (Week 17).

Bears WR D.J. Moore hauled in 5 of 9 targets for 58 receiving yards in Week 10 vs. the Panthers. Thursday’s output marks the fourth time in five weeks that he’s reached at least 50 yards receiving in a contest. Sure, it’s not as good as the 106.2 receiving yards per game Moore averaged through Week 5 with QB Justin Fields (right thumb) in the lineup, but fantasy managers can feel happy that they at least got flex-level production out of him over the past month. Fields’ return from injury in Week 11 vs. the Lions isn’t yet certain, but it would certainly be a huge boost for Moore’s outlook next week. It won’t be a cakewalk matchup, however. The Lions rank ninth in pass defense DVOA in 2023.

Bears TE Cole Kmet secured 6 of 8 targets for 55 receiving yards and 2 TDs vs. the Saints in Week 9. He’s been on fire over the past two weeks, ranking first in PPR points per game (20.7) and fifth in receiving yards (134) among TEs. WR D.J. Moore did not fare as well in Sunday’s contest, recording just 3 catches for 44 yards. The turnaround time for the Bears is quite short as their Week 10 game vs. the Panthers is coming up on Thursday night. It won’t be an easy game for Kmet or Moore as the Carolina defense ranks as the second- and eighth-toughest matchup for opposing WRs and TEs respectively, per our our adjusted fantasy points allowed. That said, we may feel better about their fortunes if QB Justin Fields is able to return from his dislocated right thumb. Be sure to keep up with the injury reports in the coming days.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Panthers WR D.J. Moore is considered "day-to-day" with a knee sprain, rather than the previously reported ankle injury. "Nothing significant," a source told Schefter. It sounds like Moore has a chance to be ready for Sunday's game vs. the Steelers -- although he'll be tough to trust in fantasy lineups after going catch-less in the win over Seattle.

Panthers WR D.J. Moore came away from Sunday's win over the Seahawks with an ankle injury. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Moore will have an MRI today to determine the severity. Moore played all but 3 of Carolina's offensive snaps at Seattle, so we didn't notice the injury initially. We'll see about his status for a Week 15 home date with Pittsburgh, which has ranked among the league's best scoring matchups for WRs. Although Shi Smith and Laviska Shenault led Panthers WRs in production against the Seahawks, Terrace Marshall remained the only one close to Moore in playing time. They ran 25 and 29 pass routes, respectively, compared with 11 for Smith and 8 for Shenault, according to Pro Football Focus.

An ankle injury for QB P.J. Walker pressed Panthers QB Baker Mayfield back into the starting lineup for Sunday's game in Baltimore. And Mayfield delivered more of what got Carolina's offense started so slowly this season. He threw for just 196 yards, 0 TDs and 2 INTs on 21-of-33 passing. WR Terrace Marshall was the only Panther to tally more than 26 receiving yards. He caught 3 balls or 76 on a team-high 6 targets. D.J. Moore managed just 3 catches for 24 yards on 5 targets. Bet on Mayfield bowing back out of the lineup as soon as someone else is ready.

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 Browns are trading QB Baker Mayfield to the Panthers for a conditional 5th-round pick in 2024, NFL Network reports. The 2 teams "split the financials to make it happen," according to Ian Rapoport, so Carolina is presumably picking up about half of Mayfield's nearly $19 million 2022 cap hit. Mayfield is coming off a disappointing, injury-riddled 2021 season but played well the previous year, finishing 10th among 32 qualifiers in Pro Football Focus' passing grades. In fact, Mayfield earned higher PFF passing grades in each of his first 3 NFL seasons than QB Sam Darnold has managed in any of his 4 NFL seasons. So Mayfield is a tangible upgrade for D.J. Moore, Robby Anderson, Terrace Marshall and Christian McCaffrey. Mayfield himself looks like just a middling QB2, although those weapons give him some weekly upside. Check out the updated projections for the Panthers offense.

Update: Per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, Mayfield agreed to shave about $3.5 million off his 2022 salary. The Browns will pay him $10.5 million this year; the Panthers around $5 million.

Panthers WR D.J. Moore (hamstring) is active for today’s game vs. the Bucs. He was listed as questionable after getting in just a limited practice on Friday. Moore played through this injury last week, catching 6 of 11 targets for 48 yards.

Panthers WR D.J. Moore (hamstring) is expected to play vs. the Bucs today, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Moore is listed as questionable after getting in just a limited practice on Friday. But he was able to play through this injury last week, catching 6 of 11 targets for 48 yards.

Panthers WR D.J. Moore (hamstring) missed practice again on Thursday. He played through this injury vs. the Bills last week but might have aggravated it. We'll get another update on Moore tomorrow.

Panthers WR D.J. Moore (hamstring) did not practice on Wednesday. He battled through this injury last weekend, posting a 6-48 line on a 91% snap rate in the loss to Buffalo. He should be available for this Sunday's game vs. the Bucs, but we'll keep an eye on him.

Panthers WR D.J. Moore "pulled his hamstring" in Sunday's game vs. the Falcons and is "day to day," HC Matt Rhule said. Hamstring injuries are always tricky, but it sounds like Moore's is minor. We'll keep a close eye on his practice participation this week, leading into Sunday's game vs. the Bills.