The Carolina Panthers will face the New Orleans Saints in Week 9. Here’s fantasy football start-sit advice for every Panthers skill player who has the potential to make a fantasy impact during the game.
Looking for more lineup advice? Head over to our Week 9 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Andy Dalton, QB
A car accident early last week resulted in a thumb injury that ultimately kept Andy Dalton from suiting up last week. With Carolina’s season not going anywhere and Bryce Young 13 years Dalton’s junior, a move back to Young seemed inevitable and should be considered the expectation for the remainder of 2024.
Dalton (multiple TD passes in three of five starts, but six interceptions in his last four) can safely be cut in all formats.
Bryce Young, QB
Bryce Young is a long way away from holding redraft value, but at least dynasty managers caught a glimpse of some promise on Sunday against the Broncos. Without either of his top two receivers, Young threw multiple TD passes for the third time in his career and completed 17 of 20 short passes (85%).
Not all growth is linear. It’s possible that Young’s learning curve is an extended one and that he will hit his stride next season in Year 2 under Dave Canales. In a dynasty league, given Young’s depressed value, you have no choice but to hold, and I’m not sure that’s a bad thing.
Chuba Hubbard, RB
We can worry about the Jonathon Brooks situation when we get there (if we get there). Chuba Hubbard has at least 17 touches in six straight games, and although Carolina’s offense doesn’t offer a ton of scoring chances, their bell cow continues to find a way to work his way into successful fantasy lineups so as long as the game stays even remotely competitive.
That should be the case against a Saints team that is trending very much in the wrong direction. Not only do the Saints own the worst goal-to-go defense in the NFL, but they’re allowing the fourth-most yards per carry to running backs and scores to the position at the fifth-highest rate(4.7% of carries).
I have no interest in jumping off Hubbard until I have a reason to, and nothing about this spot scares me.
Jonathon Brooks, RB
Brooks is practicing and nearing his NFL debut, but there’s no need for you to try to get ahead of this situation. Chuba Hubbard is running well, and with this team in no position to make a run, they are likely to take a conservative approach with their second-round pick.
He should be rostered across the board, but he won’t rank as a top-30 running back for me until we see him play and be used in a significant way — I’m fine with being a week late rather than a week early.
Adam Thielen, WR
The veteran receiver has missed five straight games due to a hamstring injury but was designated for a return last week and could get back on the field this weekend against a Saints team that is taking on water.
There’s no actionable advice here — not yet. The Panthers have their bye in Week 11, so stashing Thielen this week only to drop him for roster help isn’t a sound strategy. I find it unlikely that a Bryce Young target is going to be consistently worth our while, but fantasy championships are won by those who keep tabs on everything.
I’ll be watching both Young and Thielen in the coming weeks. The Panthers get the Cardinals in Week 16 and the Bucs in Week 17; those matchups are juicy enough to have my attention.
Xavier Legette, WR
With Diontae Johnson out of the picture, Xavier Legette will have the chance to develop in an expedited manner, and that’s gold for his dynasty managers. In terms of Week 9 or the remainder of 2024, I’m having a hard time getting there.
Yes, Legette has scored in three of five games, but he’s averaging just 1.15 yards per route this year, a level of inefficiency that I find more predictive than the recent scoring binge. Regardless of who is under center, do we think Carolina will frequently be in the red zone?
I don’t, and if the touchdowns dry up, what does Legette bring to the table? His current 17-game pace for this season is 47 catches for 449 yards, which means he’s essentially pacing — for an entire season — for a stat line similar to what Darnell Mooney has already put on the board; and I don’t feel good about Mooney on a weekly basis.
There might be something to Legette long-term, but we’re going to have to wait to plug him into lineups and find out.
New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers Insights
New Orleans Saints
Team: New Orleans has lost six straight games, matching their longest skid of the 2000s (also: Weeks 5-11, 2005).
QB: Derek Carr might return to a skeleton crew that doesn’t have the big play upside of the offense he left. Can he make it work? It’s possible – he’s completing a career-high 77.5% of his short passes this season.
Offense: The Saints have scored 45 points in their past three games—they averaged 45.5 points per game during their 2-0 start this season.
Defense: Over the last three weeks, New Orleans has created pressure on just 25% of opponent dropbacks (Weeks 1-5: 38.1%).
Fantasy: Alvin Kamara has more targets (18) than rush attempts (17) over the past two weeks. After averaging 90.5 rushing yards per game in September, he didn’t reach 70 once in October.
Betting: Since 2020, unders are 27-13 (67.5%) in Saint games played after Halloween.
Betting: The Saints have been 1-6-1 ATS since the start of 2022 when they were favored on the road.
Carolina Panthers
Team: Carolina is technically the home team next week in Germany against the Giants – their next true road game doesn’t come until December 8 (Week 14 at Philadelphia).
QB: Baby steps – Bryce Young threw a touchdown pass under pressure against the Broncos on Sunday, doubling his career total of such passes in the process.
Offense: The Panthers are averaging 4.0 yards per play in Bryce Young’s starts this season (Andy Dalton: 5.3).
Defense: Every team that has faced the Panthers this season has posted a passer rating north of 95 (last week against Denver was the fourth time this season they allowed a rate over 125).
Fantasy: Chuba Hubbard ran for 56 yards in Denver on Sunday, 59 of which came after contact.
Betting: The Panthers have failed to cover four straight at home, failing to cover by a total of 40.5 points during that stretch.