Panthers Provide Update on Sam Darnold's Injury Return Timeline

The Carolina Panthers' reshaped quarterback room took a significant hit prior to Week 1 when former starter Sam Darnold was placed on the injured reserve list with a high ankle sprain. After the first four games of the season, Darnold was eligible to come off of IR, but he's remain sidelined due to the issue.

Now Carolina has provided a big update on Darnold's potential return.

Interim head coach Steve Wilks said Wednesday Darnold may be cleared to return to practice next week. Though it's unfortunate he's not ready at this moment given Baker Mayfield is now banged up, this is still good news for a QB room lacking healthy options.

Mayfield is looking down the barrel of a multi-week absence unless his recovery goes quicker than expected. That leaves PJ Walker as the team's likely starter for at least Week 6, and potentially longer if Mayfield and Darnold aren't ready to go in Week 7.

Mayfield's uninspiring start to the year does open up an opportunity for Darnold to challenge for QB1 duties once he's healthy. The Panthers' firing of former head coach Matt Rhule means Wilks isn't tied to any choice under center, so he'll roll with whoever helps him win games and impress management.

Darnol's impending return is a story to watch for this in-flux franchise. For now, Walker will take over as Carolina preps to face the Los Angeles Rams. LA is a huge 10.5-point favorite in that matchup, according to NFL odds on FanDuel Sportsbook.

Isaiah De Los Santos is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Isaiah De Los Santos also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username zayyy05328. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

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