Getty Cam Newton injured his foot in a preseason game.
The Carolina Panthers will be without their star quarterback Cam Newton for another week, the team announced on Monday.
In a statement put out by the Panthers, the team stated Newton would also miss this Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans while he continues to recover from a foot injury.
Update on Cam Newton
Head coach Ron Rivera said:
“What Cam needs right now is time and rest for his foot. We want him at 100 percent when he’s ready, so there’s no exact timetable for his return. At this point, we’re going to go forward with Kyle (Allen) as our starter.”
Kyle Allen filled in admirably for the injured quarterback, putting in a four-touchdown performance in the Panthers’ 38-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Allen threw for 261 yards and had a 144.4 passer rating in the victory.
Until Newton is fully recovered, the Panthers will be riding the hot hand with Allen, who showed positive flashes in the preseason and performed more-than admirably in his first start.
Newton originally aggravated his foot in a preseason game against the New England Patriots. Newton was sacked by Kyle Van Noy, who was also shaken up on the play, and walked slowly off the field and eventually to the locker room. He left the stadium in a walking boot following the game but appeared to be fine in the following days.
Newton started and played a complete game in each of the Panthers’ first two contests this season. He completed 50 of 89 passes for 572 yards and no touchdown passes. Normally a mobile, dual-threat quarterback, Newton has only rushed five times for minus-2 yards this season — a far cry from what he normally can do.
Fantasy Stock
There’s a legitimate reason to be optimistic about Kyle Allen as a potential Newton replacement at quarterback. Allen threw four touchdown passes in his first start and got Christian McCaffrey heavily involved in both running and passing plays.
McCaffrey was alread a top fantasy pick anyways, owned in 100 percent of leagues. As for other Panthers players to scoop up in the short term while Allen takes the reigns, Greg Olsen’s stock continues to rise as he returns to full health himself. But Christian Samuel could also be a top performer in the coming weeks.
Though he might’ve sputtered out of the gate as the Panthers adjust to life after Devin Funchess, Samuel has been a bright spot in the last two games. He has 144 yards receiving over that small stretch and caught a touchdown from Allen over the weekend.
As for Allen himself, by investing in him and dropping another starter you’d basically be taking a rental for a couple weeks until Newton gets better. While it is absolutely possible the Panthers could ride the hot hand, Allen hasn’t really been fully tested yet.
His first start came against the league’s second-worst passing defense behind Miami. The Texans are middle of the road, especially after losing Tyrann Mathieu in the offseason. One thing about Houston, they allow 10.5 yards per reception this season, tenth-best in the NFL.