Carolina Panthers running back AJ Dillon (foot/ankle) walked into his team's locker room on Monday wearing a walking boot on his right foot, according to ESPN's Mike Kaye. Dillon has played a limited role in the Carolina backfield so far this season, recording 43 rushing yards on 17 carries across four games. However, the 28-year-old currently profiles as the Panthers RB2 behind Chuba Hubbard while fellow Carolina back Jonathon Brooks (abdomen/groin) remains on Injured Reserve. If Dillon is forced to miss time, unproven back Anthony Tyus III would be the lone healthy back remaining behind Hubbard on Carolina's active roster. Hubbard has already dominated backfield touches for the Panthers this season and been productive, recording 390 scrimmage yards and five touchdowns through four games. Without any competition for him in Carolina, Hubbard profiles as a must-start running back for fantasy managers
Linebacker Claudin Cherelus will miss at least four Panthers games due to the shoulder injury he suffered in Week 2. Cherelus was ruled out for this week on Friday and he was placed on injured reserve Saturday. He had one tackle while playing 36 special teams snaps in the first two weeks of the season. The Panthers filled the opening on their roster by signing linebacker Maema Njongmeta off of their practice squad. He had 10 tackles in 15 games for the Panthers last season. The Panthers also elevated wide receiver Chris Moore and running back Anthony Tyus for Sunday’s game against the Browns. Jalen Coker and Xavier Legette are both listed as questionable at receiver while Tyus will help fill the void left by Jonathon Brooks’s move to injured reserve this week
Carolina Panthers running back AJ Dillon is stepping into the team's No. 2 role with running back Jonathon Brooks (core) set to miss extended time. However, this will likely remain the Chuba Hubbard show in Carolina's backfield, and Dillon is not on the fantasy radar in Week 3 against the Cleveland Browns. Hubbard figures to receive the lion's share of work in Carolina's backfield. Dillon could find his way into a goal line role given his massive frame, but fantasy managers would be in a better position to wait and see what will happen before even rostering Dillon. For now, leave Dillon on waivers and watch how the snap share shakes out in Week 3
A League Of Its Own trade — ⬇️ Pitts and Breeces received: Jayden Daniels, Jonathon Brooks, and Kayshon Boutte. JayC1 received: Carnell Tate, Jadarian Price, and Tyler Shough
The Carolina Panthers have placed running back Jonathon Brooks on injured reserve following news of core muscle surgery, sidelining him for at least six weeks. Concurrently, the team signed safety Isaiah Simmons from their practice squad to the 53-man roster
The Panthers will be without Jonathon Brooks for an extended period of time and they’re set to kick the tires on a veteran running back as they work to fill out their backfield in Brooks’s absence. Austin Ekeler will try out for the club on Wednesday, per a report from Aaron Wilson that has been confirmed by multiple other outlets. Ekeler has not played since tearing his Achilles while with the Commanders last September. Ekeler was in his second season with Washington after spending his first seven years in the league with the Chargers. He was a dual threat throughout his time with the Chargers, and peaked with 3,195 yards from scrimmage and 38 touchdowns across the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Brooks is expected to miss more than a month after having core muscle surgery. Chuba Hubbard and AJ Dillon are the other backs on the 53-man roster for Carolina
Carolina Panthers running back AJ Dillon has carried the ball only eight times for 25 yards through the first two weeks of the season, but with Jonathon Brooks (core) set to undergo core muscle surgery and expected to miss at least six weeks, the sixth-year veteran should see his insurance value rise as a direct handcuff to Chuba Hubbard. As the clear backfield leader to start the year, Hubbard has handled 56.4% of the team's running back rush share and finished as a top-10 back in each of the first two weeks. Unlikely to carve out a significant role of his own in an offense that has been surprisingly pass-heavy to date, Dillon holds little standalone value, but should Hubbard miss time, he stands to be in line for the bulk of the team's running back workload. The Panthers reportedly worked out 31-year-old free agent Austin Ekeler on Wednesday, so that situation bears monitoring. Still, for the time being, Dillon is a worthy end-of-bench stash in deeper leagues
This is the official Player Profiler injury report for Week 1! Use this weekly series for information on key injuries around the league every Saturday before you lock in your fantasy lineups. We were all blindsided by some news on Wednesday and in-game action this week. Who else will miss time? Let’s go through the Sunday slate and see who is in danger of being ruled out. We were all blindsided earlier this week when the Raiders announced that superstar tight end Brock Bowers will be out for the next one to two weeks due to a meniscus trim procedure. This is the same knee where he had a PCL and bone bruise injury that forced him to miss time in 2025. People in Bowers’ camp are convinced it will be only a one- to two-week absence, but medical professionals on Twitter worry his absence could linger much longer. Michael Mayer is projected to be one of the better tight end streaming options while Bowers is sidelined. Jeremiyah Love suffered a high ankle sprain that kept him out of most preseason action. He has been practicing on a limited basis this week, and the team has declared Love to be a game-time decision. High ankle sprains can linger and dip production, so I expect to see more Tyler Allgeier while Love gets further acclimated to the playbook and NFL game speed. If you have Love on your team, you can start him if he’s declared active, but the odds are stacked against him early in his rookie season. Chuba Hubbard is now 100% after a full week of practices. Jonathon Brooks , meanwhile, is now hampered by a groin injury. Initially, the injury was reported as soreness, but more recently it was specified as “groin soreness,” though he no longer appears on the injury report. In a good matchup against an average defense, Brooks is a strong bet to finish as an RB2. We may all be surprised by how much Carolina splits work in an effort to keep Brooks healthy through the entire season. This one is tricky. If Malik Nabers is healthy, he is a screaming start because of his talent and opportunity. Where is his head amidst recovery? Nabers recently told the media that “I can’t put my career at risk” regarding returning too early. He has the green light from everyone on the Giants staff, but if he doesn’t feel ready, the team will support its franchise superstar and give him time to build confidence in his recovered knee. If Nabers is playing, I’m starting him unless I am loaded at wide receiver. There is always a chance that he runs four-to-five routes, doesn’t feel right, and sits out the rest of the game. Tua Tagovailoa was a surprise pop-up injury this week. Not many of us were counting on him, but this injury is notable. Tua suffered an oblique injury in practice and was ruled out on Friday. Not much has been revealed about the severity of the oblique injury, and with Michael Penix Jr. not yet at 100%, the team is starting journeyman Cooper Rush . I’d be cautious about starting Drake London or Kyle Pitts while Rush is QB1. You can still start them, but I would lower expectations for all offensive skill position players, including Bijan Robinson . Luther Burden III , WR, Chicago Bears: Suffered a groin injury in training camp, but has posted full practice participation. He’s fully recovered. Rome Odunze , WR, Chicago Bears: Odunze popped up on the injury report with a calf injury. Friday was interesting because Ben Johnson sounded skeptical about him playing, but Odunze said he is planning to play. Keep an eye on this one until the team inactives are listed, and have a backup plan in case he’s inactive. If he is active, I would temper expectations this week. (Ques) DeVonta Smith and Makai Lemon , WR, Philadelphia Eagles: Both receivers had hamstring injuries, and both have posted full weeks of practice. Smith will get a heavy snap count, but the team may be inclined to slowly bring along Lemon since he was out for so much of the offseason. Ashton Jeanty , RB, Las Vegas Raiders: After the ankle injury that caused the team to [... truncated ...]
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