Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart is not practicing Wednesday, according to Jonathan Jones of The Charlotte Observer.
Jonathan Stewart not practicing Wednesday, can be kept on fantasy benches
The Panthers feature back was sidelined for another practice session on Wednesday. We break down the fantasy implications.
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Stewart sprained his foot in Week 14 and has been held out of action ever since. There was hope that Stewart could return after a two-game absence and with the No. 1 seed in the NFC on the line Sunday, but there isn’t yet reason to believe the Panthers will force him back into the lineup before the beginning of the playoffs. The Panthers have already clinched a first-round bye, and it’s conceivable that they use Week 17 and the first week of the playoffs to give their feature back some rest.
Fantasy impact: Fantasy owners will still have to monitor practice reports throughout the week to determine if Stewart can crack the active roster, but for now, they should plan on seeing a lot of Cameron Artis-Payne against the Buccaneers on Sunday. With the Panthers playing in the later slate of games at 4:25 p.m. ET, fantasy owners could be putting themselves in a bind if Stewart is a game-time decision and they wait on him.
Artis-Payne can be considered a mid-tier RB2 for the regular season’s final week, and Stewart’s owners will likely need a backup in place once again.
