The Panthers moved to 2-0 with a 9-3 win over the Bills in Week 2, but in a game that featured very little offense Carolina lost a key playmaker. Tight end Greg Olsen confirmed to reporters after the game that he had suffered a broken foot and will visit with a doctor on Monday to find out about a timetable for return.
#Panthers TE Greg Olsen tells reporters that he broke his foot during the game today. He'll see Dr. Anderson tomorrow.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 17, 2017
While the Panthers still have playmakers like Kelvin Benjamin on the outside and Christian McCaffery out of the backfield, Olsen was a reliable, consistent, and comfortable target for Cam Newton. While Olsen had a slow start to the season with only three receptions for 28 yards in the first two games before going down, he’s had at least 77 receptions, 1,008 yards, and 3 touchdowns in each of the last three seasons.
Ed Dickson figures to take over the starting tight end role for the Panthers and will be a sensible fantasy replacement for those that had Olsen as their top tight end (on CBS he was owned in 99% of leagues and started in 88%). Other options could be Falcons tight end Austin Hooper (if he wasn’t already picked up off the waiver wire after his strong Week 1 showing) or Seth DeValve in Cleveland, who had 61 receiving yards on Sunday after 42 yards in Week 1. Finding depth at tight end in the season on the waiver wire is difficult, so Olsen owners will likely need to find someone with two strong tight ends and try making a trade to replace him.
