Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart is getting closer to a return and the team will monitor him at practice on Friday and Saturday. He will be a game-time decision at best for Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Jonathan Stewart is getting closer to his return for fantasy owners
Jonathan Stewart is getting closer to a return. Should fantasy owners even think about using him?
Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
The Panthers have been horrendous in the ground game and rank 30th in rushing yards per contest. DeAngelo Williams leads the team in rushing yards with just 106, but he's expected to miss Week 6 due to leg injuries.
In Week 5, the Panthers gave Darrin Reaves most of the carries with 11, but he only turned those touches into 35 rushing yards. There is nobody running away from the competition, so Stewart should get most of the looks once he's back to full strength, assuming DeAngelo is still out.
Fantasy impact: Fantasy owners can basically just ignore the Panthers backfield. They have a difficult schedule coming up (next three games: Cincinnati, Green Bay, Seattle) and quarterback Cam Newton gets a lot of goal-line touches anyway.
