Rookie wide receiver Devin Funchess will make his first start for the Carolina Panthers as they put their 9-0 record on the line Sunday against Washington.

Funchess moved into the lineup after starter Corey Brown suffered a shoulder injury in Thursday's practice.

"It's kind of another achievement knocked off the chart. I don't sound excited, but I am excited about it," Funchess said Friday.

Brown is listed as doubtful, which means he has a 25 percent chance of playing. He hasn't been ruled out against the Redskins but is not expected to play.

"This is probably one of those things where if you don't need to have him out there, we probably won't," Panthers coach Ron Rivera said.

Funchess, who has 12 catches for 202 yards and a touchdown this season, was a second-round draft pick by Carolina out of Michigan. He had a hamstring injury that kept him out all of the preseason.

"[The NFL is] different from college. In college I just got thrown into the fire and here I was working my way up from that injury," Funchess said.