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Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker (quadricep) was a fantasy football darling for about one week before the hype around him died down. There are a few factors impacting his scoring abilities, but it's tough to be relevant in the NFL as an undrafted free agent.
He's been surprisingly solid as a receiver despite not being selected in any of the seven rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft. Still, each week can be an uphill battle to be productive on an inconsistent offense with quarterback issues. Injuries certainly don't help things either, and Coker is battling through one now.
When will Coker be able to return to play?
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Jalen Coker Injury Update for Fantasy Football
He initially suffered a quadricep injury in his team's practice session on Thursday, November 21. He subsequently wasn't able to suit up for the team's Week 12 game. While it's only Wednesday, and the team won't play again until Sunday afternoon, preliminary signs for this week aren't good.
Not seeing Jalen Coker, who missed Sunday with a quad injury.
— Joe Person (@josephperson) November 27, 2024
We'll have to wait for the team's official practice report for today, and monitor his status throughout the week. But it's safer, and reasonable, to assume he won't play on Sunday. We'll need more information after that to determine a potential status for Week 14.
Jalen Coker Fantasy Football Outlook
Even if he does play in Week 13, he could be on a snap count due to his injury. And the return of WR Adam Thielen (hamstring) from a hamstring injury won't bode well for his potential targets. That could lead to lower production and fantasy football irrelevance.
4. Adam Thielen wasn’t limited in his return -- he ran a route on 68% of dropbacks but this is about the rate that is typically for a slot only WR
4a. Jalen Coker was out with a quad injury, so he could be splitting routes next week
— Bjorn Vaernet (@goldengate_ff) November 26, 2024
Thielen caught three passes for 57 yards in the team's Week 12 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He didn't appear to be limited by his injury in his return. He and rookie wideout Xavier Legette are probably the team's top-2 receiving options. It seems that Coker and Legette will be the team's primary options in 2WR sets, with Thielen taking the field in 11 personnel groupings.
But the 34-year old vet has more chemistry with quarterback Bryce Young than the UDFA rookie. And you'd think the first-round draft pick would also take priority for looks in the passing game. Carolina's offense doesn't look like it can support three fantasy-relevant pass-catchers right now. The third may end up being tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders (neck) anyway.
Coker is worth stashing on your bench speculatively in deeper leagues, but it's tough to recommend starting him for now.
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