2026 Week 8 Fantasy Football Breaking News: Panthers Rule Out Jaelan Phillips, Ryan Fitzgerald Gets Illness Tag for Thursday Night

The Panthers have ruled out linebacker Jaelan Phillips for Thursday night's game in Green Bay, according to ProFootballTalk (NBC Sports). Phillips, who has been dealing with a hamstring injury, also missed last Sunday's blowout loss to the Buccaneers. He finishes the week on the sideline with 2.5 sacks and six quarterback hits across five appearances this season. Cornerback Akayleb Evans (triceps, knee) is also out, leaving Carolina with just two healthy cornerbacks on the 53-man roster — Will Lee and Chau Smith-Wade — with practice squad callups expected before kickoff. On offense, left guard Damien Lewis (knee) and reserve lineman Torricelli Simpkins (ankle) are both out.

The most actionable fantasy note here is a late-week illness tag on kicker Ryan Fitzgerald, added to the injury report Wednesday. He carries no designation heading into Thursday, so he is expected to play — but it's worth monitoring in case his status changes before lock.

Ryan Fitzgerald

Fitzgerald was added to the injury report Wednesday with an illness but carries no designation, per ProFootballTalk (NBC Sports) — meaning he is currently expected to suit up Thursday night. For fantasy managers starting him in a Week 8 kicker slot, keep an eye on any last-minute updates before lineup lock, which typically comes at kickoff for Thursday games. If he were to be a surprise scratch, Alex Kessman would be the next kicker in line on Carolina's depth chart, though that outcome is not indicated by any current reporting.