CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart will miss at least the first six weeks of the season while he recovers from an ankle injury. Coach Ron Rivera said after practice Tuesday that Stewart was placed on the physically unable to perform list. The team also put guard Edmund Kugbila, its fourth-round draft pick, on injured reserve with a knee injury and waived injured defensive tackle Frank Kearse and wide receiver Joe Adams, Carolinas fourth-round pick in 2012. Adams and Kearse will go back on injured reserve if they clear waivers. NFL rules stipulate Stewart cant practice or play for six weeks. Since the Panthers have a bye in week four, Stewart is eligible to play Oct. 20 against the St. Louis Rams, which would be Week 7 on the NFL calendar but would be Carolinas sixth game of the season. "Im just taking it day by day and trying to be there for my teammates and bring as much positive energy as I can," Stewart said. "We have a long season ahead of us and I plan to be back in week six." Rivera is "very optimistic" Stewart could make it back for St. Louis game. "Some real good things have happened but they arent going to happen soon enough," Rivera said, adding doctors now believe the right ankle will take longer to heal. Rivera classified the injury as a sprain. Stewart hasnt practiced since off-season surgery on both ankles. The decision likely means more playing time for DeAngelo Williams, the franchises all-time leading rusher, and opens a roster spot for young running backs in Tauren Poole and Armond Smith. Carolina also drafted Kenjon Barner from Oregon in the sixth round and hes expected to contribute as a scat back. Stewart is coming off a disappointing season a year ago, rushing for 336 yards and one touchdown, both career lows. He missed seven games in all, including the final five with a sprained ankle. "I can spend all of my energy being disappointed or I can spend all of my energy getting ready for week six," Stewart said. Stewart said the decision came after he met Tuesday with Dr. James Anderson, the teams physician. Now the Panthers are awaiting word on fullback Mike Tolbert, who has yet to play in the preseason because of a hamstring injury. His status for the season opener against Seattle remains in question. Rivera said despite the injuries to Stewart and Tolbert the team has no plans to bring in any running backs. "We feel good about young guys that we have," Rivera said. "Theyll see a dose of action in this last preseason game and well see what theyre capable of." The Panthers drafted Kugbila with the 108th overall pick, but hes rarely practiced because of knee and hamstring issues. But Rivera isnt writing him off as a draft-day bust. "We really have to look at the long term in terms of getting him ready to go in the future," Rivera said. Fake Lakers Jerseys . The Canadians led for much of the game before Argentina forced overtime in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter. Canada weathered the storm after squandering a lead with a series of made shots. "Its a fantastic win for our country with 11 first-time Canadian national team members," said head coach Roy Rana. Los Angeles Lakers Store . - All-Pro quarterback Aaron Rodgers looked spry enough in pregame warmups Sunday for Green Bays divisional playoff game against Dallas. https://www.lakersjerseycheap.com/. -- Max Domi scored twice and set up two more as the London Knights toppled the visiting Kingston Frontenacs 6-4 on Sunday in Ontario Hockey League action. Lakers Jerseys China .C. - Nick Merkley and Damon Severson each had a goal and two assists as the Kelowna Rockets downed the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds 6-3 on Saturday in Western Hockey League playoff action. Custom Los Angeles Lakers Jerseys . And all things considered, the first 40 games have offered a little bit of everything from a hockey club that faced many questions in its first year under new management, with a new head coach and with a number of new faces in the lineup. However, with a recent dip in scoring, it seems some of the same old questions persist and several new ones have been raised after a somewhat troubling homestand.SEOUL, South Korea -- Second-seeded Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic rallied from a set down on Saturday to beat Russias Maria Kirilenko 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 and reach the final of the Korea Open. Pliskova hit 10 aces at Olympic Park Tennis Center to oust Kirilenko, who needed a wild card to enter the tournament she won in 20008.dddddddddddd Kirilenko, a top-10 player last year, fell out of the top 100 this year after a knee injury kept her out of the first three months of the season. Pliskova will face fifth-seeded Varvara Lepchenko of the United States in the final. Lepchenko outlasted compatriot Christina McHale 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (5). ' ' '