Carolina Panthers - Fantasy News

Panthers at Saints Start 'Em / Sit 'Em

by Aaron Bowers

1/5/18

NFL

Carolina Panthers

Cam Newton

For the third time this season, the Carolina Panthers will take on the New Orleans Saints. New Orleans gets this game at home after winning the first two matchups 34-13 and 31-21.

Behind great defense plus hot and cold offense, Carolina won 11 games to get back to the postseason for the first time since its Super Bowl run in 2015. The Panthers will need big plays and a lot of luck to get past the Saints and advance to the next round against the Eagles or Vikings.

Known for their prolific passing game, the Saints reinvented themselves this season with an improved defense and the best one-two punch at running back that the NFL has seen in years. In the two previous matchups, the New Orleans rushers racked up 413 yards and four touchdowns. They’ll try to replicate that in this game to advance to the Divisional Round.

Carolina Panthers Wild Card Round Projected Fantasy Points
Cam Newton: 18.5 PFP
Christian McCaffrey: 12.0 PFP
Devin Funchess: 8.5 PFP
Graham Gano: 8.5 PFP
Greg Olsen: 8.0 PFP
Jonathan Stewart: 7.5 PFP

New Orleans Saints Wild Card Round Projected Fantasy Points
Alvin Kamara: 18.0 PFP
Drew Brees: 17.0 PFP
Mark Ingram: 16.5 PFP
Michael Thomas: 13.5 PFP
Will Lutz: 9.5 PFP
Ted Ginn: 8.0 PFP
Brandon Coleman: 5.0 PFP

Start 'Em: Christian McCaffrey (12.0 PFP)
Dober Fantasy Points Per Game: 11.85

The rookie McCaffrey is one of the only parts of the Carolina offense that has been consistently successful this season. He leads all Panthers in targets, receptions and scrimmage yards and ranks second on the team in touchdowns. In two games against the Saints, McCaffrey put up DFP totals of 16.2 and 13.4. Since Week 11, New Orleans has given up more than 12.0 DFP to a running back in every game. In addition to McCaffrey, that list includes players like Samaje Perine, Bilal Powell and Peyton Barber. McCaffrey has a great chance to get over 12.0 DFP against the Saints for the third time this season.

Sit 'Em: Cam Newton (18.5 PFP)
Dober Fantasy Points Per Game: 19.75

Failing once again to make improvements as a passer, Newton is deriving almost all of his fantasy production with his legs in 2017. In the previous two games against New Orleans, he threw for a total of 350 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. In his last nine contests overall, he has thrown for more than 200 yards just twice and has thrown multiple touchdown passes in just six games all season. He has been especially bad over the last two weeks, throwing for 340 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions against the Buccaneers and Falcons. Newton’s accuracy is non-existent at this point. He’s sailing passes all over the yard, and the Carolina coaching staff isn’t doing him any favors in the game plan. Fade him on Dober Play Cards at such a high PFP.

Start 'Em: Alvin Kamara (18.0 PFP)
Dober Fantasy Points Per Game: 17.62

Wrapping up one of the best rookie seasons by a running back in recent memory, Kamara is as hot as any player in the league at his position. Since the Adrian Peterson trade, he has scored more than 17.9 DFP seven times in 11 healthy games. He breaks tackles at an astounding rate, has home-run speed and averages more than 7.7 yards every time he touches the ball. In his two games this season against the Panthers, Kamara recorded 19 touches for 168 yards and three touchdowns. No team in the league has any answers for the rookie sensation, so we’re targeting him on Dober Play Cards even at a high PFP.

Sit 'Em: Drew Brees (17.0 PFP)
Dober Fantasy Points Per Game: 16.61

Averaging the fewest passing yards per game of any season of his career in New Orleans, Brees has officially turned into a game manager for this team. Over the back half of the season, he averaged just 15.46 DFP and has just two games with more than 35 pass attempts. The recipe for a Saints win this week is to feed Kamara and Ingram, work off of play-action and wait for Newton turnovers. Brees isn’t without talent at age 38, but his opportunities to put up big fantasy numbers will be limited in this game and the rest of this postseason run.