Curtis Samuel at practice and expected to be activated from Covid-19 list for Week 14

Friday update: Curtis Samuel has returned to practice on Friday and is expected to be activated from the Covid-19 list, per Joe Person. Ian Rapoport reported on Monday that D.J. Moore had a positive test, so he should be out along with Christian McCaffrey, which means a lot of Samuel against the Broncos.

The Carolina Panthers have placed eight players on the Covid-19 list, including wide receivers D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel, defensive tackles Derrick Brown and Zach Kerr, linebacker Shaq Thompson and left tackle Greg Little, per Alaina Getzenberg. Those are a big chunk of the best players the Panthers have to offer.

At this point, we know that D.J. Moore has tested positive while Curtis Samuel is a close contact, per Ian Rapoport. That puts more as out this week, but gives Samuel a Chance to play still. Moore was already iffy to play due to an ankle injury.

We will learn more throughout the week, but at this point the fantasy football damage appears to minimal. Of course, that could change quickly, as we’ve recently seen with the Baltimore Ravens.

The Panthers take on the Denver Broncos in Week 14 and would need a big downgrade if the bulk of these players end up missing the game. For now, DraftKings Sportsbook has the Panthers as 3.5 home favorites.