3 years agoCarolina Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold will be seeing his first extended preseason action on Friday night against a tough Steelers defense. Darnold will play about a half of football against one of the league's better defenses from last season, the Steelers, though Pittsburgh is expected to rest most of its starters for the contest, making the matchup a bit easier. Head coach Matt Rhule said he feels he'll still get a "good evaluation" of his signal-caller, even against some of the Steelers' backups. While he'll be without perhaps his safety net in All-Pro back Christian McCaffrey, Friday's game will allow Darnold to show what he can do with a new offensive mind in his ear and improved weapons in tow. While there will be some growing pains for Darnold, a solid performance could be on the way Friday night, which would only boost his fantasy stock heading into the heart of draft season.--Tim Capurso
Source: David Newton