Panthers QB Bryce Young suffered a high ankle sprain in Sunday's win over the Jets, according to multiple reports. He'll miss the Week 8 home date with the Bills. ESPN's David Newton reports the team hopes that will be the only game Young misses. Andy Dalton will step in while Young's out.
What They're Saying
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero: "The exact timetable for Bryce Young is TBD. This type of high ankle sprain is generally a 2-4 week injury, though Carolina is hopeful he could miss as little as one game."
2025 Fantasy Football Impact
Dalton attempted just seven passes (completing four for 60 yards) after Young went down against the Jets. He also entered late in the team's Week 4 blowout loss at New England, going 5-of-6 for 58 yards and a TD there.
Dalton logged five starts for last year's Panthers when Young got benched in Week 3. He completed 66.7% of his passes over that stretch, with 7 TDs, 6 INTs, and 6.2 yards per pass attempt. Dalton's 4.2% sack rate checked in lower than Young's 7% rate for that 2024 season.
He'll face a Bills defense that has been a negative scoring matchup for QBs while ranking dead last in rush DVOA.
After Buffalo, the Panthers visit Green Bay and then host the Saints.
We'll see how soon Young makes it back, but the QB switch shouldn't meaningfully alter the fantasy outlooks of Carolina's other skill-position players.