How to handle Curtis Samuel injury in Week 1 fantasy football

Curtis Samuel did not appear on the Carolina Panthers’ final injury report on Friday. He was a limited participant during practice on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday as he’s battling through a hamstring injury.

Samuel is heading into his fourth season with the Panthers and has slightly increased his statistics each season. In 2019, he finished with 54 receptions for 627 yard and six touchdowns. All of those numbers were career highs for Samuel. He very well could be an afterthought on the Panthers’ roster. Samuel is clearly behind Christian McCaffrey and DJ Moore but will be competing with Robby Anderson for targets from new quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

Fantasy impact: Samuel should not be trusted in any fantasy football lineups in Week 1. It would likely take a decent stretch of time for fantasy owners to trust him enough to start. Moore is likely a WR1, but he is probably the only Carolina wide receiver to have any consideration going into the matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. Robby Anderson is someone to watch, but hold off for now until we know how this passing game looks with Teddy Bridgewater.