Panthers RB Williams may not play against Falcons

The Carolina Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams has a sore left knee and sat out practice Friday for the second time in three days, a sign to indicate that he may not be available to play for the Panthers this Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.

Williams practiced on a limited basis Thursday but missed Friday’s practice. Having 307 yards rushing in the past two games, he is now ranking fifth in the NFL with a total of 768 yards rushing. Missing this Sunday’s game may cause his ranking to fall.

Other players questionable for Sunday’s game include running back Jonathan Stewart, receiver Muhsin Muhammad, tight end Dante Rosario and fullback Tony Fiammetta. But all of the four players took part in Friday’s practice wearing their Panthers jerseys.

Panthers WR Smith left camp with shoulder injured

On Monday night, another key player of the Carolina Panthers was taken out of the practice field. Wide receiver Steve Smith was carted to the locker room after his right shoulder was injured.

Smith was injured when he got tangled with cornerback Chris Gamble, and general manager Marty Hurney said he was not sure how long the injury will keep the four-time Pro Bowl receiver out of practice. Although X-rays showed that the injury was not very serious, it just caused some tense moments for the Panthers who saw one of the NFL’s top receivers injured just a week after starting defensive tackle Maake Kemoeatu left camp for a torn tendon.

Smith had 78 catches for 1,421 yards and six touchdowns last season. With his leaving, the Panthers have few choices of starting WR. At the moment they have 36-year-old Muhsin Muhammad as a starter and Dwayne Jarrett as a candidate to be the No. 3 receiver this season.