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The Carolina Panthers have struggled out of the gate in 2022. A 1-4 start led to the firing of Matt Rhule on Monday, making him the first head coach to be canned this season. While Carolina's defense has looked fine, the offense has faltered drastically, in part due to Baker Mayfield's slow start. The former No. 1 overall pick has struggled to lead scoring drives, and his poor play has hindered his teammates' performances.
After some speculation that Mayfield could be benched due to poor play, another factor has emerged: the signal-caller suffered an ankle injury during the Panthers' Week 5 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Is Mayfield healthy or injured? Will he play in Week 6? If not, should fantasy managers pick up P.J. Walker?
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Is Baker Mayfield Healthy or Injured?
Mayfield joined the Panthers this past offseason following a trade with the Cleveland Browns. The 27-year-old beat out Sam Darnold (ankle) for the starting job but has completed just 55 percent of passes for 962 yards, four touchdowns, and four interceptions this year. He has also fumbled six times and been sacked on 15 different occasions. All in all, Mayfield's 72.1 fantasy points rank 26th among quarterbacks.
Mayfield was seen wearing a boot on his left leg following the conclusion of Sunday's game against the 49ers. As it turns out, he suffered a high-ankle sprain and is expected to miss time. While the quarterback will seek additional opinions and his exact timeframe for returning is unknown, it looks like he will miss at least a couple of weeks.
Should I Pickup P.J. Walker for Fantasy Football?
With Mayfield sidelined and Darnold not ready to return, the Panthers will turn to P.J. Walker at quarterback. The 27-year-old has seen sporadic usage in the past, completing 55.7 percent of passes for two touchdowns and eight interceptions over the course of 10 appearances between 2020 and 2021. On one hand, he has stuck around long enough to earn the coaching staff's trust. On the other hand, it has taken a boatload of injuries just for him to see playing time.
Heading into Week 6, Walker is not worth pursuing in single-quarterback fantasy leagues. His best performance last season resulted in just 7.25 fantasy points, so he isn't exactly full of upside. The 27-year-old also lacks rushing prowess and is prone to sacks.
If your waiver wire is thin, you need a quarterback, and Walker is one of your only options, you can pull the trigger. Otherwise, though, he should be left on waivers. There's no indication that Walker will fare better than—or even as well as—Mayfield. Plus, as soon as Darnold is healthy, he'll likely take over as the Panthers' starter.
Finally, it's worth noting that while Walker himself might not have fantasy allure, the absence of Mayfield and firing of Rhule should elevate the values of Christian McCaffrey and DJ Moore.
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