Panthers' Xavier Legette: Logs full practice Wednesday
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Legette (shoulder) practiced fully Wednesday, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.
Legette made an early departure from this past Sunday's loss in Chicago due to a shoulder injury, and he underwent tests on his AC joint earlier this week. Those tests must have turned up nothing too serious, considering he handled all on-field work Wednesday. The same can't be said for fellow wide receiver Diontae Johnson (ankle), who remained limited for a third straight practice going back to last week.
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Panthers' Xavier Legette: Practicing Wednesday
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Legette (shoulder) is on the field for the media-access portion of Wednesday's practice, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.
Legette was forced out of Carolina's loss to the Bears in Week 5 early due to a shoulder issue, but he's said he doesn't expect to miss time. The rookie first-round pick also underwent imaging Monday to test his AC joint, but Legette looks to have been cleared of anything significant. The Panthers' first official Week 6 practice report will be issued later Wednesday, when it will be known to what extent Legette participated.
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Panthers' Xavier Legette: Doesn't expect to miss time
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Legette (shoulder) said Monday he expects to suit up for Sunday's divisional matchup against the Falcons, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.
Legette is set to undergo imaging tests Monday to determine whether he sustained an AC joint injury while being forced out of Week 5's loss to the Bears, but the rookie first-round pick doesn't anticipate having to miss any time. Nonetheless, fantasy managers will want to monitor Legette's practice activity leading up to Week 6 action. If Legette is able to practice in at least a limited capacity Wednesday, it will bode well for his chances of suiting up versus Atlanta.
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Panthers' Xavier Legette: Getting AC joint tested
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Legette (shoulder) said Monday he is expected to undergo imaging tests on his AC Joint, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.
Legette was forced out of Sunday's loss to the Bears with a shoulder injury, and it appears the Panthers are concerned about the possibility of an AC joint injury. The results of Monday's imaging tests will reveal more about the rookie first-round pick's expected recovery timetable, though it's possible Carolina won't offer an actionable update until Wednesday's first official injury report of Week 6. In the event that Legette isn't cleared to face the Falcons on Sunday, Oct. 13, Jalen Coker will get a chance to work alongside Diontae Johnson and Jonathan Mingo in three-wide sets.
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Panthers' Xavier Legette: Leaves with shoulder injury
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Legette exited Sunday's game against the Bears with a shoulder injury and is questionable to return, Sheena Quick of Fox Sports Radio 1340 reports.
Coming off his big Week 4 against the Bengals, Legette was mostly a non-factor versus Chicago prior to leaving in the second half. The rookie saw just one target before exiting, catching it for a gain of eight yards. Diontae Johnson and Jonathan Mingo will work in two-wide sets while Legette is sidelined.
Legette was my top stash last week, and now, in terms of rest-of-season production, he may actually be the prize of the waiver wire after he saw 10 targets in his first game without Adam Theilen. As long as Andy Dalton is the starter and Theilen is on IR, you can trust Legette as a WR3. If things really click for him in the second half, he may be even more than a WR3.
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Panthers' Xavier Legette: Week 5 Waiver Priority List
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In the Panthers' first game without Adam Thielen (hamstring) in Week 4 against Cincinnati, Legette was a star with six catches for 66 yards and a touchdown on 10 targets. He's going to operate as the No. 2 receiver in Carolina behind Diontae Johnson, but Andy Dalton should continue to lean on Legette at least until Thielen returns -- and hopefully for the rest of the season. The Panthers have a tough matchup in Week 5 at Chicago, but Legette should be considered a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues. He's worth adding for at least 10-15 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Panthers' Xavier Legette: Catches first touchdown Sunday
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Legette caught six of his 10 targets for 66 yards and one touchdown in Sunday's 34-24 loss to the Bengals. He added two rushes for 10 yards.
Legette had caught just six passes for 77 yards through his first three games in Carolina. However, the 2024 first-round pick saw more snaps with Adam Thielen (hamstring) missing Sunday's contest, and Legette took full advantage of his increased opportunities, posting a 6-66-1 receiving line. The combination of Carolina's struggling defense (allowing over 32 points per game) and Thielen missing at least the team's next three games makes Legette an intriguing fantasy option going forward. He will continue playing behind Diontae Johnson but is still expected to be fantasy-relevant, as Andy Dalton has supported two strong wide-receiver performances each of the first two games he's served as the Panthers' top signal-caller.
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Panthers' Xavier Legette: Likely to benefit sans Thielen
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Legette is expected to see a boost in snaps and targets while Adam Thielen (hamstring) is on injured reserve, Alex Zietlow of The Charlotte Observer reports.
The rookie finished a Week 3 win over the Raiders with two catches for 42 yards on three targets while logging 44 of the Panthers' 74 offensive snaps, but his playing time really took off once Thielen exited the game in the second quarter due to a hamstring injury. Legette's snap share rose all the way to 76 percent in the second half, tops among Carolina receivers. Though Diontae Johnson will be locked in as the clear No. 1 option in the passing attack while Thielen is out and could see his target share increase, a more proficient offense helmed by Andy Dalton could leave room for Legette to carve out enough weekly volume to emerge as a usable option in deeper fantasy leagues.
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Panthers' Xavier Legette: Stashes (WR Preview)
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With Adam Thielen headed to Injured Reserve, the Panthers will need someone to step up as their WR2, and I'd like to bet on their 2024 first-rounder. Legette is not in my top 48 WRs this week, so he's no more than a stash, but if Dalton cooks like he did in Week 3, there will be someone other than Diontae Johnson worth starting.
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Panthers' Xavier Legette: Two catches against Raiders
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Legette recorded two catches on three targets for 42 yards in Sunday's 36-22 win over the Raiders.
Legette wasn't targeted in Week 2, so this performance was a step in the right direction. However, it was less impressive in the context of the rest of the offense, as Diontae Johnson racked up 122 yards while Adam Thielen (hamstring) caught a long touchdown before exiting. The Carolina offense looks significantly improved with Andy Dalton under center, which should continue to give Legette opportunity to produce as the season progresses.
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Panthers' Xavier Legette: Impresses coach in debut
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Panthers head coach Dave Canales said Wednesday that Legette "played fast" and was "fantastic" in his regular-season debut in last Sunday's loss to the Saints but still has a long way to go, Steve Reed of the Associated Press reports.
Legette played 58 percent of snaps and ran a route on 66 percent of Carolina's pass plays in the Week 1 loss, leading the Panthers in targets (seven) and catches (four) despite splitting playing time with Jonathan Mingo. The rookie caught each of his first three targets for 31 yards, before reeling in just one of four targets in the fourth quarter (for four yards) while presumed No. 1 receiver Diontae Johnson was resting on the sideline. Johnson and Adam Thielen presumably are locked into their roles, but Legette could take more playing time away from Mingo as soon as Week 2 against the Chargers.
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Panthers' Xavier Legette: Week 2 Waiver Priority List
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It was good to see Legette get seven targets in his NFL debut at New Orleans, and he finished with four catches for 35 yards. Better days are ahead for him, but hopefully, the Panthers offense will have a better showing than what happened in the 47-10 loss to the Saints. Legette is worth stashing on your bench in deeper leagues for 1 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Panthers' Xavier Legette: Four grabs in pro debut
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Legette caught four of seven targets for 35 yards in Sunday's 47-10 rout at the hands of the Saints.
The 32nd overall pick in the 2024 Draft led the Panthers in targets in his NFL debut, but Legette's longest gain went for only 18 yards as Bryce Young struggled to get anything going through the air. The rookie was brought in to provide Young with a downfield threat while veterans Adam Thielen and Diontae Johnson handled underneath routes, but Legette may not get many chances to stretch the field if his QB continues to stagnate. The Carolina offense will try to regroup ahead of a Week 2 matchup with the Chargers.
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Panthers' Xavier Legette: Likely sitting out Saturday
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Legette is not expected to play in Saturday's preseason game against the Jets, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.
The Panthers are opting to keep the majority of their starters out of the preseason contest, including the first-round rookie. Expect Jonathan Mingo and Terrace Marshall to get a bit of playing time until roster bubble wideouts such as Ihmir Smith-Marsette, David Moore and Mike Strachan get their fair share of opportunities.
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Panthers' Xavier Legette: Backup on first depth chart
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Legette (foot) is listed behind Jonathan Mingo on the Panthers' initial depth chart released ahead of Carolina's first preseason game Thursday against New England.
Joe Person of The Athletic reports that there's more to be desired in Legette's camp performance thus far, as he hasn't made any "head-turning plays" and has been outperformed by Mingo and Terrace Marshall. Legette missed the last few weeks of spring with a hamstring issue and is now dealing with a foot injury as well, which could be detrimental to building chemistry with Bryce Young before the 2024 season. Person also stated that he expects head coach Dave Canales to find ways to get the ball in Legette's hands throughout the season, but he still has a long way to go and needs all the practice reps he can get at this time. It seems like it'll be an uphill battle for Legette to start the Panthers' 2024 campaign as one of the team's top three wideouts, but that could change if he begins to show out after returning from injury.
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Panthers' Xavier Legette: Returns for start of camp
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Legette (hamstring) was on the practice field Wednesday for the start of training camp, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.
A hamstring injury limited Legette's practice participation this spring after the Panthers took him 32nd overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. He's back in action with plenty of time to secure a top-three role at receiver alongside Diontae Johnson and Adam Thielen, likely competing for perimeter snaps with 2023 second-round pick Jonathan Mingo and 2021 second-round pick Terrace Marshall. Few wide receivers can match Legette's combination of straight-line speed (4.39-second 40-yard dash time) and bulk (6-foot-1, 223 pounds), but he was a non-factor at South Carolina before exploding for 1,255 receiving yards his final season. He now enters the NFL with the usual concerns that come with bigger wideouts: route running and change-of-direction skills.
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Panthers' Xavier Legette: Missing practice again
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Legette (hamstring) isn't practicing Tuesday, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.
Legette first missed practice last Wednesday, with Panthers coach Dave Canales saying the rookie "looked tight" the day before. Legette's hamstring injury doesn't appear too serious, as he's working off to the side with Carolina's training staff Tuesday. He'll likely be ready for the start of training camp in late July even if he doesn't practice again before then.
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Panthers' Xavier Legette: Dealing with tightness
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Legette missed practice Wednesday, with head coach Dave Canales noting afterward that the rookie "looked tight" the day before, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.
The 32nd overall pick appears to be dealing with a minor muscular injury in his lower body. Assuming he doesn't miss too much time, Legette is in good position to earn plenty of snaps as a rookie within a Carolina offense that's badly in need of a downfield target to complement veteran possession receivers Adam Thielen and Diontae Johnson. The Panthers didn't get much from 2023 second-round pick Jonathan Mingo last season, but they went back to the well for a physically similar player this April, hoping Legette's 4.39-second 40-yard dash time in a 223-pound frame will translate to the NFL in a hurry.
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Panthers' Xavier Legette: Carolina surprises at 32nd pick
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The Panthers selected Legette in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 32nd overall.
Legette (6-foot-1, 223 pounds) is a uniquely explosive athlete (4.39-second 40, 40-inch vertical) for such a heavy receiver, and in 2023 his production at South Carolina went crazy as he made big play after big play downfield. He's more comfortable running in a straight line than sideways, which limits the number of ways you can get him the ball and makes it easier for defenses to stop him once opponents determine which parts of the field he'll avoid. While he showed great hands and even yards-after-the-catch ability in 2023, Legette might face more jamming troubles from NFL corners, which would threaten to delay his otherwise compelling downfield speed. Indeed, it's a red flag that he was so athletically explosive all along but couldn't produce until his fifth collegiate season. Given Bryce Young's 2023 struggles, it is in any case difficult to see much fantasy opportunity for Legette in 2024 specifically.
