Kelvin Benjamin's Health Integral to Rookie of the Year Race

Not only is Kelvin Benjamin's health critical to the Carolina Panthers' success this season, the wide receiver's aspirations of being named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year are dependent on him producing each and every week.

"Really, I mean I could say I want to be Rookie of the Year. But really all I want to do is win. I feel like if we win, I will win Rookie of the Year. But I just want a Super Bowl," Benjamin told USA Today's Lindsay H. Jones in May

Panthers head coach Ron Rivera told The Charlotte Observer's Joseph Person Wednesday that Benjamin suffered a "mild" concussion against the Cincinnati Bengals after a hit from linebacker Vontaze Burfict.

Benjamin's status for this weekend's contest against the Green Bay Packers is still up the air after undergoing concussion protocols earlier in the week. The rookie didn't practice Thursday, according to Person.

Benjamin's availability Sunday is crucial for the Panthers offense and the wide receiver's chances to remain the front-runner for Rookie of the Year.

Through six weeks of play, no first-year player on the offensive side of the ball has made as much of an impact as Benjamin.

NFL.com's Marc Sessler tweeted that Benjamin's injury couldn't have come at a worse time, as the wide receiver was just hitting his stride:

Sunday's contest against the Packers is a high-profile game featuring two of the league's most dynamic quarterbacks. Both teams are also vying to remain atop their respective divisions. If Benjamin is eventually cleared to play, the massive target could feast on the Packers' secondary.

While Green Bay is currently ranked fifth in passing defense, the Packers are horrible at defending the run. Teams haven't needed to pass the ball on Green Bay since Mike McCarthy's squad ranks dead last against the run.

If the Panthers can establish a strong ground game—and it's not a given due to multiple injuries at the running back position—it will open up the play-action passing game for quarterback Cam Newton to push the ball downfield to his favorite 6'5" target.

The opportunity to exploit the Packers defense disappears if Benjamin isn't on the field. In a "What have you done for me lately?" league, Benjamin's status as the league's top offensive rookie will be challenged.

Benjamin's potential absence from the spotlight should open the door for another rookie to burst through and legitimately enter the conversation. The towering wide receiver isn't so far ahead of other young receivers that he can take a week off and still be the consensus favorite for the award.

Player	Team	Catches	Yards	Yards per catch	Touchdowns
Kelvin Benjamin	Panthers	31	416	13.4	4
Sammy Watkins	Bills	26	311	12.0	2
Allen Robinson	Jaguars	30	311	10.4	0
Allen Hurns	Jaguars	18	298	16.6	3
Brandin Cooks	Saints	32	255	8.0	1

Of those five receivers listed above, only Benjamin is currently playing for a team with a record above .500 and serving as his quarterback's No. 1 target.

However, a strong effort this weekend to close the gap and put their teams in a better position should help the case of the other four receivers currently behind Benjamin in receiving yardage.

Other rookies will be on display at quarterback and running back.

Jacksonville's Blake Bortles will be making his fourth consecutive start against the Cleveland Browns' 29th-ranked defense. Of course, Bortles will rely heavily on his two rookie wide receivers, Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns.

A surprising first win for the Jags with strong performances by any of these first-year players would be big, particularly if the highest-selected quarterback from May's NFL draft gets on a roll.

A few hard-charging running backs are on Benjamin's tail, too.

Gregory Bull/Associated Press

San Diego's Branden Oliver burst onto the scene two weeks ago with 114 rushing yards against the New York Jets. A week later in Oakland, Oliver posted his second consecutive 100-yard game. He currently leads all rookies with 249 rushing yards.

The Buffalo Bulls product should be expected to get touches even after Ryan Mathews and Donald Brown return to the lineup. As successful as San Diego has been this season, Oliver is the rookie making the most noise at the moment.

Oliver isn't the only running back playing at a high level.

Isaiah Crowell continues to work his way up the Cleveland Browns' depth chart because he's an ideal fit for the team's zone-blocking scheme.

Plus, he produces when he's on the field. Crowell is tied for third in the NFL with four rushing touchdowns. The undrafted free agent out of Alabama State is also second among all running backs with an average of 5.4 yards per carry.

Andre Williams impressed in recent weeks as well after he was forced to take over the bulk of the carries in the New York Giants offense due to an injury to Rashad Jennings.

During the past two games, Williams ran for 131 yards and two touchdowns.

Rookie quarterbacks Teddy Bridgewater and Derek Carr are also expected to start this weekend with another chance to prove themselves.

But all the bickering over which skill-position player is better could be proven moot. The two best offensive rookies in the NFL are offensive linemen.

Player	Team	Position	Overall grade
Joel Bitonio	Browns	OG	10.3
Zack Martin	Cowboys	OG	4.8
Corey Linsley	Packers	C	3.3
Branden Oliver	Chargers	RB	3.3
Jace Amaro	Jets	TE	2.7

Who is obviously missing from this list? Benjamin.

Benjamin sports a minus-4.1 grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Nine different rookie wide receivers have higher marks than Carolina's top target.

A bias has existed since The Associated Press started to hand out the NFL Rookie of the Year award in 1967. No offensive lineman has ever been honored.

This may be the perfect year to do so with the Browns' turnaround and guard Joel Bitonio being one of the best at his position. The Dallas Cowboys are also dominating up front, and guard Zack Martin has a lot to do with the team's 5-1 start.

These two are leaps and bounds better than any other offensive rookie in the NFL right now, and Bleacher Report's Dan Hope currently ranks them as two of the top four rookies in the NFL.

But offensive linemen never win the award, which still gives Benjamin a slight edge.

Luck is when preparation meets opportunity. Benjamin was unlucky after suffering an injury due to an a illegal blow by Burfict. As such, the rookie wide receiver's opportunities may be limited in the coming weeks.

Benjamin's absence could eventually cost the wide receiver the NFL Rookie of the Year Award after being the favorite to win it through the first six weeks of the season.

Player statistics provided by NFL.com.

Brent Sobleski covers the NFC South for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.