Carolina Panthers Week 12 Injury Report: Final Game Status on Jonathon Brooks, Adam Thielen, and Others

The Carolina Panthers will host the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 12. Here’s the final injury report and analysis on all Panthers players whose game status has been in question at some point this week leading up to the game.

Are you looking for an injury report that covers all fantasy-relevant players throughout the league? Head over to our Final Week 12 NFL Injury Report.

Kansas City Chiefs at Carolina Panthers Inactives

Note that the full inactive list is released by teams 90 minutes before kickoff. This list will be updated at that time.

Jonathon Brooks, RB

Rookie Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks is on track to make his long-awaited NFL debut in Week 12. He fully practiced every day this week, and while Brooks is listed as questionable, head coach Dave Canales said he is “absolutely” playing on Sunday.

The Panthers activated the second-round pick from the non-football injury list ahead of Week 10, but Brooks didn’t play. Carolina went on bye in Week 11, leaving Week 12 vs. the Chiefs as Brooks’ first pro game.

Brooks will have to earn touches behind thriving starting Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard. However, fellow RB Miles Sanders (ankle) won’t play on Sunday, vacating a role for Brooks.

Jadeveon Clowney, LB

Clowney (knee) is questionable for Sunday’s game against the Chiefs.  After logging a DNP on Wednesday, he was able to put in a limited session on Thursday and a full practice on Friday, paving the way for him to possibly suit up on Sunday. The 31-year-old has just 1.0 sacks through eight games this season as a rotational edge defender.

Jalen Coker, WR

Jalen Coker (quad) didn’t practice on Friday and is now considered questionable for Sunday’s game.

Coker wasn’t listed on the Panthers’ early-week injury reports, suggesting he may have been hurt during Friday’s practice. End-of-the-week downgrades are never a positive sign and often indicate that a player will miss the upcoming game. Carolina could update Coker’s game status over the weekend.

Coker finished as the fantasy WR17 in Week 8 but has otherwise finished outside the top 40 wideouts each week.

Ikem Ekwonu, OT

Ekwonu (ankle) has no injury designation ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the Chiefs. He missed each of the Panthers’ last two games due to an ankle injury, but he was able to practice in full Friday, suggesting that he’s moved past the issue. Now that the 2022 first-round pick has returned to full health, he’s expected to protect Bryce Young’s blindside in Week 12.

Jaycee Horn, CB

Horn (calf) doesn’t carry an injury designation into Sunday’s game against the Chiefs and is expected to play. He avoided a serious injury when he popped up on the injury report earlier in the week. Through 10 games, Horn has 44 tackles (33 solo) and 10 pass breakups, including one interception.

DJ Johnson, LB

Johnson (concussion) is questionable for Sunday’s game against the Chiefs. He was concussed in the Panthers’ Week 10 win over the Giants and had the Week 11 bye to recover.

He was able to sandwich full practices Wednesday and Friday around a limited Thursday. Johnson has 29 tackles (10 solo), including 0.5 sacks, and one pass breakup on limited snaps as a sub-package linebacker this season.

Eddy Pineiro, K

Pineiro (knee) is questionable for Sunday’s game against the Chiefs, but coach Dave Canales said Friday that he thinks Pineiro will be able to play. He was injured while celebrating his 36-yard game-winning field goal in overtime two weeks ago against the Giants in Germany. On the season, Pineiro has made 12 of 13 field-goal attempts and all 17 of his extra-point tries.

Miles Sanders, RB

Sanders (ankle) has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Chiefs. He was carted off the field two weeks ago in Germany against the Giants. While he avoided a serious injury, Sanders is going to miss at least this one contest. The Panthers are expected to have rookie Jonathon Brooks (knee) available this week alongside Chuba Hubbard.

Adam Thielen, WR

Adam Thielen practiced on Wednesday for the first time since injuring his hamstring in Week 3. The veteran wideout remained limited for each practice ahead of Week 12, but Canales said Thielen will suit up on Sunday (despite his questionable label).

The Panthers only have four receivers on their active roster. If Coker can’t go, Thielen and first-round rookie Xavier Legette could be in for significant targets against Kansas City.

#Panthers WR Adam Thielen has been cleared to play. He’s excited to be back in team drills for the first time in eight weeks. pic.twitter.com/uCaDIg1L44

— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) November 20, 2024

Carolina had to activate Thielen from injured reserve last week, even though the club was on a bye. If they’d kept Thielen on IR past his 21-day return window, he’d have remained there for the rest of the year.

The 34-year-old demonstrated a strong rapport with Bryce Young last season, recording 103 catches for 1,014 yards. It was Thielen’s first 1,000-yard season since 2018, his last Pro Bowl berth with the Vikings.

D.J. Wonnum, LB

Wonnum (quadriceps) is questionable for Sunday’s game against the Chiefs. He made his season debut in Week 10 after spending the first nine weeks of the season recovering from a quad issue.

He was limited in practice Thursday but was able to practice in full Friday and should be on the right side of the questionable tag against Kansas City. In his Week 10 debut, Wonnum logged six tackles (four solo), including 1.0 sacks and a forced fumble versus the Giants.

Xavier Woods, S

Woods (shoulder) doesn’t carry an injury designation into Sunday’s game against the Chiefs and is expected to play. He was limited in practice earlier in the week but is good to go coming out of Carolina’s bye. The veteran safety has started all 10 games and played 100 percent of the team’s defensive snaps, logging 69 tackles (40 solo) and a pair of interceptions.