Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette suffered an apparent injury in the club’s Week 14 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. Here’s the latest from Sunday’s game.
What Happened to Xavier Legette?
Legette took a hard shot from Eagles safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson on the Panthers’ first drive in Week 14.
The first-round rookie attempted to bring in a pass from Bryce Young on 3rd-and-10 when Gardner-Johnson laid a massive shoulder-to-shoulder hit. It was a clean tackle, but Legette clearly took the worst of it.
What a hit by CJ Gardner-Johnson on third down pic.twitter.com/TZwYt1g4B4
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulli) December 8, 2024
After the hit, Legette spent several minutes in the blue medical tent along Carolina’s sideline. Fortunately, he subsequently returned to the Panthers’ bench (with his helmet) and was spotted chatting with his teammates.
Legette hasn’t missed any games in his first NFL campaign, but he previously injured his shoulder in Week 5. The South Carolina product played a season-low 32% of the Panthers’ offensive snaps in that contest.
Legette, the No. 32 overall pick in April’s draft, leads Carolina in targets (59), receptions (37), receiving yards (393), and receiving touchdowns (four).
Did Legette Return in Week 14?
Legette appeared to avoid a significant injury. He returned to Sunday’s game on the Panthers’ second offensive drive.
Carolina never announced an update on Legette’s injury or his status.
After Sunday’s loss, head coach Dave Canales told reporters that Legette was screened for a concussion after absorbing his first-quarter hit.
Fantasy Implications of Legette’s Injury
Asking the Panthers to give us production is risky business in the first place, and removing talent from the situation wouldn’t make it easier.
If Legette were to go down, Carolina’s rushing attack and fellow WR Adam Thielen would take on more responsibilities, but not enough to change how we think about any impacted parties.
Chuba Hubbard remains a viable RB2, while all other Carolina pieces are more “bail-me-out-in-case-of-emergency” Flex options.
— PFN Analyst Kyle Soppe
