Carolina Panthers DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Carolina Panthers rookie tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders (neck) was present on Wednesday but did not take part in practice with the rest of the team after suffering a scary head/neck injury in the Week 12 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. Sanders was placed on a backboard after landing directly on his head before being carted off and taken to a local hospital. The 21-year-old was released from the hospital in short order, though, and thankfully avoided a serious injury. He still has two more days to get back on the practice field, but it seems likely that Carolina will exercise caution with Sanders, making him more unlikely to be available to play in Week 13 against the division-rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If Sanders is ruled out for this weekend's game, expect Tommy Tremble to see more targets in the passing game, which would make him more attractive as a TE2 sleeper in fantasy.

The Kansas City Chiefs signed kicker Matthew Wright to the practice squad on Tuesday, according to Chiefs beat writer Matt Derrick. Harrison Butker (knee) is on the Injured Reserve list, and fill-in kicker Spencer Shrader (hamstring) is dealing with a hamstring injury. Wright kicked in two games for the Chiefs in 2022. Overall, he has attempted kicks for five NFL squads, connecting on 43 of his 50 field goal attempts and 38 of his 40 extra point tries in 21 games. Shrader has averaged 7.6 fantasy points per game in the absence of Butker, so if Wright draws a start for K.C., he's unlikely to be a high-end kicker option in Week 13 against the Las Vegas Raiders on Black Friday.

Carolina Panthers tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders (neck) avoided a serious injury during Sunday's Week 12 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, according to an update from head coach Dave Canales. In the first half of Sunday's game, Sanders came down hard on his head and neck area. Medical personnel placed him on a stabilizing backboard and transported him to a local hospital for further evaluation. He was discharged the same day, and Canales said that the rookie tight end was back in the Panthers' facility on Monday. It's fair to assume Sanders' Week 13 availability is up in the air, but the good news is that he didn't suffer a serious injury and might be able to avoid a stint on Injured Reserve. Tommy Tremble would step up as the Panthers' primary tight end if Sanders needed to miss time.

Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks debuted in his first game but wasn't very involved in the 30-27 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The rookie saw eight percent of the offensive snaps and registered two carries for seven yards with no work in the passing game. Due to a big first-half deficit, the Panthers were forced to abandon the run and the backfield as a whole only produced 85 total yards. Brooks will likely see some added snaps moving forward, but fantasy managers will want to be cautious with the split between him and Chuba Hubbard.

Carolina Panthers rookie wide receiver Xavier Legette recorded four receptions for 56 yards in the team's 30-27 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. It was the second-most yards in a game for Legette this year, who has had some bumps adjusting to the NFL. He was in position to set his career high but dropped a beautiful deep ball from Bryce Young that would have been a 33-yard reception. Still, the rook made some nice plays, including a 34-yard catch-and-run in the first quarter. He remains a low-end streaming option moving forward and is on the flex radar in deep leagues against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 13.