Panthers' Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold Could Return Week 8

The Carolina Panthers are without several key contributors on offense in their Week 7 battle against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Christian McCaffrey was dealt to the San Francisco 49ers for a haul of draft picks, while Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold continue to rehabilitate their respective injuries. 

Although there’s no getting McCaffrey back, Mayfield and Darnold could be back in the mix next week versus the Atlanta Falcons. 

Mayfield entered the season as the starting quarterback, injuring his ankle in Week 5’s contest against the San Francisco 49ers. The former first-overall pick has been out since then but returned to practice at the end of this week. 

Similarly, Darnold started the year on the injured reserve after suffering a high-ankle sprain in the Panthers’ final pre-season game. Like Mayfield, he was back at practice this week. 

Carolina is making the most with the least against the Bucs this week, leading their division rivals late in the second half despite entering the contest as +13.5 underdogs. Head over to FanDuel Sportsbook for a live line on the game.