Bryce Young missed practice on Wednesday. The rookie QB has struggled so far through two professional outings, but that’s to be expected from a top pick at the quarterback position. What do we know about the injury? How does this affect the offense moving forward, and what fantasy football impact could this have?
Bryce Young Injury Update
Young sustained an ankle injury during the Carolina Panthers‘ loss Monday night to the New Orleans Saints. The team signed quarterback Jake Luton to their practice squad today as well. However, we don’t know exactly when the injury occurred. Head coach Frank Reich declined to point out a singular play that could have caused the injury.
Frank Reich, speaking with the media— says he’s unsure if Bryce Young will play Sunday against the Seahawks.
Young popped up on the injury report today (ankle).
Reich didn’t specify any one particular play as the culprit.
— John Ellis (@1PantherPlace) September 20, 2023
That is a bit abnormal for an ankle sprain. But this could be a good thing for the offense and for Young if he’s forced away from action for a while.
We’ve seen what kind of damage a bad situation can do to a young QB. In Green Bay, for instance, we could be seeing what waiting in the shadows can do for a young player.
It’s crystal clear that the Panthers’ offense does not have the kind of firepower to facilitate early success for Young. But an ankle injury that didn’t pop up until after the Monday night game doesn’t seem like something that should hold him from action for too long.
Update 9/21: Young missed a second consecutive practice. Head coach Franch Reich has already decided it best to limit Young’s exposure to unnecessary hits. He’s using Andy Dalton on short-yardage plays to minimize hits.
“There’s a lot of different things we could do, but I just feel very comfortable in Andy,” Reich said on Tuesday, via the team’s official website. “And some of those things you just want to limit the exposure of Bryce to — and Bryce can do any of it, but you’ve got an experienced veteran.”
Young is expected to miss Week 3 with his ankle injury, according to a report from the team website. Dalton will start in his absence.
Fantasy Impact of Young Injury
Dalton stepping in for Young would have limited fantasy appeal. In theory, the coaching staff could open up the playbook a bit for the veteran, something that would result in a minor bump for all of the pass catchers, but not to the point where they’d matter in starting lineups.