Abanikanda rushed 12 times for 56 yards and caught all three of his targets for 31 yards in Saturday's 27-0 preseason win over the Panthers.
Abanikanda came in on the Jets' third possession after Michael Carter and Zonovan Knight split the first two. Abanikanda, a rookie fifth-round pick, is gaining on Knight for the third-string spot, as Abanikanda has impressed in each of the Jets' first two preseason games; he scored a 10-yard touchdown in the Hall of Fame Game the previous week. Abanikanda will have two more preseason games to make his case for surpassing Knight, starting with an Aug. 19 home game against the Buccaneers.