Jalen

Coker

One of Coker’s missed connections was an insane end zone catch where he nevertheless failed to come particularly close to getting both feet down in bounds. Coker hit the big play last week. He didn’t this week. That’s probably the best way to forecast him for Weeks 17 and 18. Coker has a very limited floor in this offense, but ceiling will be attainable vs. the Bucs’ leaky pass defense next Sunday.

After being listed as questionable heading into the weekend, Coker is officially active and profiles as a boom-or-bust WR5. He posted a solid 4-110-1 line on six targets in last week’s loss to the Panthers. While Coker is active, Xavier Legette was declared inactive, although that announcement was handed down before the weekend. The Panthers also declared S Jordan Fuller, CB Shemar Bartholomew, WR Velus Jones Jr., CB Akayleb Evans, C Cade Mays, and OL Brandon Walton inactive.

Coker seemingly got past his quad issue last week and broke out with 110 yards plus a touchdown versus Dallas. He was not on the injury report on Wednesday but was downgraded to limited sessions on Thursday and Friday before being listed as questionable. It seems like the light workloads to close the week may have been precautionary. If he suits up, Coker will be a boom/bust WR5 for his matchup with Arizona.

Coker missed a few games with a quad injury but returned for a breakout performance last week with 110 yards and a score. He wasn’t on the team’s first injury report this week but was added as a limited participant on Thursday. It’s possible he reaggravated the quad issue in practice. A limited session on Friday means the issue can’t be too severe, but he remains a true game-time call for Week 16.

Coker returned from a quad injury this week and didn’t miss a beat. He finished second on the team in targets and led the Panthers in yards on the back of an 83-yard touchdown just before the end of the first half. Coker got behind the Cowboys’ defense for a long gain and then turned on the jets to finish the play in the end zone. Coker was getting hot before suffering the quad injury and is back on the field making splash plays. With Xavier Legette banged up, Coker could close out the year as Carolina’s No. 2 receiver, giving him WR4/5 upside for Week 16.

Coker was emerging as a weekly splash-play threat before going down with the quad injury in Week 10. Head coach Dave Canales told reporters Coker was “attacking his routes” in practice earlier this week. It sounds like he won’t have any limitations on Sunday, putting him on the WR5/6 radar for Week 15.

Coker has been a full participant in back-to-back practices and should be good to go for Week 15 once the team’s final injury report is released on Friday. Coker should return to the Panthers’ starting lineup once active but will be hard to trust as anything more than a WR4 against the Cowboys.

Coker practiced in full last Wednesday but was held out of the next two sessions before being listed as doubtful. Head coach Dave Canales said he wasn’t ready to return on Sunday earlier today, but noted that Coker was “aggressive, attacking his routes” during the first practice of Week 15. It sounds like he should be back on the field if all goes well over the next two days. His return will boot David Moore from the starting rotation.

He was doubtful after trending the wrong way this week with his quad injury: full practice on Wednesday, limited on Thursday, and no practice on Friday. This could be a more extended absence than the Panthers hoped for. OLB Jadeveon Clowney (knee) also won’t play off a questionable tag, while TE Ja’Tavion Sanders (neck) returns from a scary hit in Week 12. S Jammie Robinson, CB Shemar Bartholomew, CB Akayleb Evans, CB Caleb Farley (shoulder), and OL Jarrett Kingston round out Carolina’s inactives.

Coker logged a full practice on Wednesday but was a DNP on Thursday and Friday. His two-day absence has legitimately put his Week 14 availability in doubt, as the rookie could be looking at missing his third straight game due to his injury. With Coker unlikely to play, Adam Thielen becomes the only viable Panthers receiver for Sunday’s game against the Eagles.