Carolina Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams will not play against the Detroit Lions in Week 2. Williams suddenly popped up on the injury report this week with some thigh soreness and missed two practices. He should be considered as questionable for Week 3.
Jonathan Stewart becomes a fantasy option with DeAngelo Williams (thigh) out
Jonathan Stewart is expected to start against the Lions on Sunday. We break down the fantasy implications.
Al Messerschmidt
Jonathan Stewart is expected to start and should see most of the snaps. He's been used in the passing game, which should help his overall output on the stat sheet due to the lack of weapons on offer for quarterback Cam Newton. Mike Tolbert will also help the Panthers in their ground attack and could be a change-of-pace back. He may also get some carries at the goal line, and his pass protection doesn't rule him out on passing downs either.
Fantasy impact: It’s been a while since Stewart was a reliable fantasy asset. He had just 2.2 yards per carry in the opener and hasn’t cracked 4.0 per carry since 2011. Still, the Panthers should be able to run the ball against Detroit, which makes him a solid RB2 with a little room for upside. Tolbert is an option in deep TD-heavy leagues.
