Carolina Panthers DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette (hip, wrist) was limited during practice on Thursday. The rookie had been a full participant on Wednesday, so this latest update does raise some concerns about his availability for Week 18. The 23-year-old has caught 46 passes for 467 yards and four touchdowns while operating behind Adam Thielen this season. He continues to lose some targets to Jalen Coker and David Moore, but he remains an intriguing dynasty target as he wraps up a solid first campaign in the NFL. In the short term, Legette's status for Week 18 remains up in the air, but we should get more clarity on his status when the Panthers release their Friday injury report.

Carolina Panthers running back Miles Sanders (ankle) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, according to team reporter Mike Kaye. The 27-year-old was recently designated to return from the Injured Reserve list, where he has been since the Week 11 bye. With Chuba Hubbard (knee) and Jonathon Brooks (knee) on Injured Reserve, Sanders could make a fantasy and DFS impact if he returns for the season finale against the Atlanta Falcons. However, he could ultimately share the backfield with Raheem Blackshear and Mike Boone. Either way, none of the Panthers' backs have a ton of upside against a Falcons defense that has allowed the 10th-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs.

According to David Newton of ESPN, Carolina Panthers rookie wide receiver Xavier Legette (hip/wrist) was a full participant during Wednesday's initial practice session. Legette sat out during Week 16 and was listed as questionable for Week 17 but was able to suit up. In this game, the rookie wideout brought in five of his nine targets for 28 yards. During Weeks 1 through 15, Legette saw an average of 5.0 targets per game while tallying 31.4 yards per game. However, during Weeks 4 through 10, Legette found the end zone four times. Fantasy managers should monitor his status during the week in case he faces a setback. However, he should be slated to operate as the No.2 wideout in their final game against the Atlanta Falcons.

The Carolina Panthers announced on Wednesday that they opened the 21-day practice window for running back Miles Sanders (ankle) to return from Injured Reserve, meaning he can be activated to the 53-man active roster ahead of the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. With Chuba Hubbard (calf, knee) going on season-ending IR last week, the Panthers could get Sanders back this weekend for additional RB depth alongside Raheem Blackshear, Mike Boone and Velus Jones Jr. The 27-year-old Sanders isn't guaranteed to be active to close out the season, though, and he'll need to show enough in practice this week to get the green light. And even if Sanders is active against Atlanta, there's no guarantee he'll see enough snaps after being sidelined since Nov. 10. Sanders has averaged only 3.7 yards per carry on his 38 rushing attempts in 2024 in his second year in Carolina.UPDATE: Sanders practiced in full on Wednesday.

Carolina Panthers running back Miles Sanders (ankle) was cleared to play last week, and head coach Dave Canales said he's looking forward to getting Sanders onto the practice field this week. Sanders is not being ruled out from playing in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. The 27-year-old is still on Injured Reserve, so if he is going to return to play in the last game of the year, Carolina will need to officially activate him by Saturday. Chuba Hubbard (calf, knee) and Jonathon Brooks (knee) are both done for the year, but even if Sanders is able to play on Sunday, he'd likely be sharing backfield touches with both Raheem Blackshear and Mike Boone and wouldn't be a viable fantasy option. Sanders hasn't played since Week 10 and was averaging a mere 3.7 yards per carry in a limited role before hurting his ankle.