Carolina Panthers Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Steelers WR Diontae Johnson scored what proved to be the game-winning three-yard TD with about four minutes left in the fourth quarter of Thursday night's game vs. the Titans. It was Johnson's first trip to the end zone since Week 17 of the 2021 season. Ben Roethlisberger was still Pittsburgh's QB at that point. Johnson went an absurd 199 targets and 119 receptions without a TD. It's nice to have that monkey off his back. But the bigger fantasy takeaway is that Johnson dominated Steelers receiving production in this one. He posted a 7-90-1 line on nine targets, accounting for 30% of the team's targets, 37% of the receptions, and 56% of the receiving yards. After being out-targeted by WR George Pickens in his Week 7 return, Johnson has now out-targeted Pickens 23 to 10 over the last two games. QB play remains a concern, but Johnson will be a comfortable weekly fantasy starter on this type of volume. He gets a neutral Week 10 matchup vs. the Packers before a challenging Week 11 draw against the Browns.

Panthers S Vonn Bell put in limited practices Wednesday and Thursday, his first action since injuring a quad the Thursday before a Week 6 meeting with the Dolphins. Bell missed that game and last week's win over the Texans, sandwiching a Week 7 bye. But he just might be ready to return Sunday against the Colts. Indy has been a negative scoring matchup for DBs on the season, but Bell's a decent tackle play in just about any spot. His return would send S Sam Franklin back to the sideline.

Steelers WR Diontae Johnson led the team in targets (14), receptions (8), and receiving yards (85) in Sunday's loss to the Jaguars. He drew eight more looks than any other teammate and nine more than WR George Pickens. Most of that edge came before QB Kenny Pickett left the game. Johnson led the team with 5 targets from QB Mitchell Trubisky, but Pickens, TE Connor Heyward, RB Najee Harris, and RB Jaylen Warren each saw 4 Trubisky targets. That mean's Johnson's nine looks from Pickett constituted 56.3% of the QB's total attempts. We'll see about Pickett's injury (ribs) status for Week 9 and whether this was the start of Johnson reclaiming his favorite-target role. Or whether it's a one-game blip and he remains close with Pickens. Whoever lines up behind center for the Steelers in Week 9 will get a Tennessee defense that has played the run tough but also been a negative scoring matchup for QBs. The Titans have been positive for WR scoring, however.

Panthers WR Adam Thielen ended Week 8’s contest vs. the Texans with 8 catches on 11 targets for a team-leading 72 receiving yards. The veteran has now exceeded the 70-yard mark for a fifth-straight game. His teammate Jonathan Mingo also had a fine outing, tallying 62 yards on 4 catches on Sunday. Thielen belongs entrenched in fantasy lineups as long as continues to dominate.

Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard out-touched teammate Miles Sanders 17 to 2 in Week 8 vs. the Texans. The veteran Sanders received 2 carries in the contest, only to be shut out completely in the fantasy box score. Hubbard, on the other hand, tallied 54 total yards on Sunday. This outcome is a bit of a surprise. While Sanders has dealt with injuries to his groin and shoulder early in 2023, it was reasonable to anticipate he’d be more involved coming off of the Panthers’ bye week presumably healthy. For now, it’s safe to operate with the understanding Hubbard will lead the way in Week 9 vs. the Colts.

Panthers QB Bryce Young completed 22 of 31 passes for 235 yards with 1 TD in Sunday’s victory over the Texans. The rookie also added 11 rushing yards in the Week 8 contest. There’s been little reason to start the 2023 No. 1 overall pick outside of superflex leagues, and his effort against Houston doesn’t inspire much of a reason to alter expectations. Young will be considered a low-end QB2 in Week 9 vs. the Colts.

The Panthers will have S Xavier Woods (hamstring) back in the lineup for today's game against the Texans. It'll be his first game action since Week 3.

The Panthers have ruled S Vonn Bell (quad) out for the second straight game. He missed the full week of practice coming out of the Week 7 bye. S Xavier Woods, on the other hand, appears to be trending toward a Sunday return. He's questionable for Sunday's game against the Texans after finishing the week with a full Friday practice. Woods has been out since Week 3. We'll check his status Sunday.

Steelers WR Diontae Johnson (hamstring) is not listed on the final Week 8 injury report. He was sidelined on Thursday but returned to a full practice on Friday. Johnson should be ready for his usual role in Sunday’s game vs. the Jaguars.

Panthers RB Miles Sanders (shoulder) put in a full week of practice and isn’t listed on the final injury report for Sunday’s game vs. the Texans. We don’t need to worry about Sanders’ health at this point, but his workload is uncertain. RB Chuba Hubbard has simply been the more effective player this season. We’re projecting Sanders to lead a fairly evenly split backfield this week, largely because Carolina gave him $13 million guaranteed). But neither Panther is better than a RB3.

Steelers WR Diontae Johnson (hamstring) was added to Thursday's injury report and did not practice. Johnson, of course, just came off IR last week after missing four games with a hamstring injury. It's unclear if this was a planned day off or if he suffered a setback. We'll learn more tomorrow.

Panthers RB Miles Sanders (shoulder) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice. That puts him on track to play vs. the Texans this weekend. RB Chuba Hubbard had a nice game in Sanders' absence back in Week 6 and has been the more effective RB in general so far this season. But we're projecting Sanders to step back in as Carolina's lead back at least for Week 8.

Steelers WR Diontae Johnson (hamstring) put in a full week of practice and isn’t listed on the final injury report for Sunday’s game vs. the Rams. He’s been out since Week 1 but should be ready to step back into a full-time role this weekend.

Steelers WR Diontae Johnson (hamstring) put in a full practice on Wednesday. It's confirmation that he'll be back in his usual role vs. the Rams this weekend. See where Johnson sits in the Week 7 WR Rankings.

Steelers WR Diontae Johnson (hamstring) has been designated to return from IR. He'll practice this week and is eligible to play vs. the Rams on Sunday, which Johnson said last week that he expects to do. We'll track his status this week.

Panthers HC Frank Reich told his players Monday that he's handing over play-calling duties to OC Thomas Brown, NFL Network reports. The move comes as Carolina heads into a Week 7 bye. That should help with the transition, which has been rumored to be on the way since before this season started. Brown was a trendy head-coaching candidate last offseason but is in his first year as an NFL OC. So it's tough to know what to expect here. Brown did spend his first three NFL coaching seasons on Sean McVay's offensive staff, though. And it's hard to imagine the Panthers getting much less efficient on offense. They sit third-worst so far at 4.4 yards per play and third-worst in net yards per pass attempt. We'll see whether the switch produces any noticeable boost to offensive efficiency and/or fantasy upside.

Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard handled 19 of 25 team RB attempts in a Week 6 loss at Miami. He scored once on the ground but surprisingly added only 1 catch on 1 target. Hubbard’s score came on Carolina’s first possession, where he found daylight on a 6-yard run up the gut. Miles Sanders should return following a Week 7 bye, but Hubbard likely earned a bigger role going forward. Carolina squares off with the Texans in Week 8.

Panthers WR Adam Thielen stayed hot on Sunday, snagging 11 of 13 targets for 115 yards. He added his fourth TD over the past five weeks. Thielen did most of his damage in the first half, where he scored on an end zone ball from 8 yards out. The former Viking has now tallied 15+ PPR points in five straight. He’ll remain a must-start following a Week 7 bye.

The Panthers have ruled S Vonn Bell and S Xavier Woods out for Sunday's game against the Dolphins. Woods comes as no surprise, as he's dealing with a multi-week hamstring injury. Bell suffered a quad injury Thursday that kept him out of Friday's practice. Sam Franklin has been starting in Woods' spot and carries tackle upside into a matchup with speedy Miami. We'll see who fills in for Bell. IDP managers would love to get full playing time for Jeremy Chinn, but he played a season-low 30% of the snaps in Week 5, despite injuries at safety and LB. Fifth-round rookie Jammie Robinson is the other SS candidate. You can stash Chinn for now in case he gets the nod, or you could simply avoid the situation (beyond Franklin). We'll watch for more details.

Panthers RB Miles Sanders (shoulder) is out for Sunday's game vs. the Dolphins. He'd been battling a bum groin and then picked up a shoulder injury last week. Sanders gets a Week 7 bye to heal up. His absence this weekend leaves Chuba Hubbard as Carolina's lead back. Sanders and Hubbard have combined to average 19.2 carries and 7.6 targets per game this season. We're certainly not expecting Hubbard to soak up all of that. The Panthers also have RB Raheem Blackshear and could use WR Laviska Shenault in the running game. But Hubbard should get enough work to be a decent RB2 play in fantasy lineups.