The Carolina Panthers will face the New York Giants in Week 10. 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 10 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Bryce Young, QB
By our QB+ metric, Bryce Young has shown some signs of growth lately, but that’s more of a note for loyal Panthers fans than involved fantasy managers. I think the second-year signal caller keeps his job, and I’d even go as far as to say that there will be multiple top-15 weeks in this profile the rest of the way, but projecting such a performance is irresponsible.
Part of my reservations when it comes to calling for a viable Young performance, even in a good spot, is because betting on him is a parlay that involves other inconsistent youngsters. What looked like a 26-yard completion in the fourth quarter turned into an interception last week, a swing that could have cost him upwards of eight fantasy points.
This is a game of inches, and I simply don’t trust this offensive environment to foster fantasy production.
Chuba Hubbard, RB
This is a hinge week for Chuba Hubbard, as we are going to get our first impression of Jonathon Brooks. More importantly, the Panthers will get their first look at the rookie in a live setting and we will have the ability to react.
Are they going to slow-play things?
Are they going to pull a Zamir White and try to get a feel for 2025 at the end of 2024?
Their decision in that regard has the potential to swing fantasy leagues in a significant way. Not only does Brooks loom but defenses are wising up to Hubbard as the strength of this offense — in Weeks 8-9, 50% of his carries came against a loaded box (Weeks 5-7: 18.8%).
I’m starting Hubbard (NYG: third-highest percentage of yards allowed come on the ground) and sitting Brooks this week and will be doing the same until Carolina tells us to act differently, but I’m skeptical that either of these backs is going to be a top-20 option when we get to the final month of the fantasy season.
Jonathon Brooks, RB
The window is open for the rookie to make his return, and that’s promising. Less promising is the trajectory of this Carolina team and its motivation to ask Jonathon Brooks to carry this backfield the way patient fantasy managers would like.
Brooks needs to be activated this week in order for him to get any reps this season, so I fully expect him to dress, but you’d have to be in full desperation mode to look this way with more risk than reward in his immediate profile.
We’ve seen talented running backs make a big impact in our fantasy world despite playing for an objectively bad team (Tank Bigsby, Tyrone Tracy Jr., and Chuba Hubbard, to name a few), and that means I’m leaving the dimmest of lights on for Brooks in redraft formats
However, my touch expectations are limited for the rest of the season until I’m convinced otherwise, and that is going to result in him ranking well outside of my top 30 at the position.
Adam Thielen, WR
Adam Thielen hasn’t played since Week 3 (hamstring) and didn’t clear 50 receiving yards in any of the games he was active for. While Diontae Johnson is now a Raven, the Panthers are pretty clearly more concerned with the future than the present, making me think that this Bryce Young-Xavier Legette-Jalen Coker-Ja’Tavion Sanders quartet is here to stay as the core.
Is that gross? Of course, it is, but Carolina has zero motivation to rush Thielen back or to load him up with opportunities once he returns.
If you’ve been holding the veteran on your IR slot and want to see him fail before cutting ties, fine, there’s no real roster risk in doing that. However, I think it’s unlikely that you’re rostering Thielen down the stretch as you chase a title.
Jalen Coker, WR
Call me crazy, but the Panthers seem to have a plan. Whether you agree with the names they’ve elevated is a different conversation, but they’ve built up a young offense that comes with potential, and Jalen Coker is a part of it.
The 6’3” rookie didn’t get home last week, but Coker wasn’t far from paying off the hype, as he had an 18-yard catch that came up three yards shy of the goal line. The 4-78-1 stat line in Week 8 against the Broncos was good for a WR17 finish. Although that likely proves to be his best game of the season, Coker deserves to be rostered due to the projected game scripts moving forward and the franchise’s desire to see what they have in this undrafted playmaker.
Coker isn’t a starter for me this week, and the Panthers have a bye next week. Still, I’ll be holding.
The Panthers get the Cowboys, Cardinals, and Buccaneers over the final three weeks of the fantasy season, a stretch run that could prove awfully interesting should Coker carve out a role that sees him earn 5-7 targets consistently.
Xavier Legette, WR
Xavier Legette has now scored in three of his past four games and has a carry in three straight as he works his way toward the Flex radar despite a limited supporting cast.
The rookie very well could have had the best day of his young career if not for a drop in Week 9, but any double-digit point performance is noteworthy in this spot, especially when you consider that his status wasn’t clear prior to the game due to a toe injury.
This offense remains a problem, but the usage is trending in the right direction. Legette has seen his slot participation increase over the past month and, regardless of who is under center, he’s solidified himself as the go-to red-zone option. He still ranks outside of my top 30 at the position, though I could see that changing as the week carries on and I sell myself more on this matchup (NYG: fifth-worst defense in terms of EPA against receivers this season).
His status in starting lineups is a question mark for now, but what isn’t is his status as my favorite “Xavier” rookie receiver moving forward for 2024.
Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE
Is there some value after all in this Carolina passing game?
We always preach about wanting a positive game script when it comes to pass catchers in our never-ending chase for volume, and it’s hard to feel better about a situation on that front than a team that has, even with a win last week, lost 22 of its past 26 games.
Ja’Tavion Sanders, a fourth-round rookie out of Texas, is one of four tight ends under the age of 25 who has seen at least five targets in four of the past five weeks. Is that a low bar? Maybe, but with Brock Bowers, Kyle Pitts, and Trey McBride being the only other names on that list, all of whom you’re starting weekly, it’s worth being aware of.
Some of those options benefit from strong overall offensive volume — not the case for Sanders. He’s seen a target share north of 20% in three of his past four games when he’s on the field, showcasing an ability to earn looks; that is rare for this point in the growth curve.
Sanders’ 252-pound frame gives him the potential to post up and open throwing lanes, a skill set that I’m happy to have in my lineup against a defense that has posted two of their three highest blitz rates over the past three weeks.
Is he that much different than tight ends like Hunter Henry or Cole Kmet, players in similarly inconsistent offenses? I’d say no, and he’s available in a ton of spots if you’re desperate.
New York Giants vs. Carolina Panthers Insights
New York Giants
Team: New York is averaging just 2.78 plays of 20-plus yards this season (28th, ranking just behind Carolina’s 2.89 per game).
QB: In a limited offense, the “layups” have to overachieve, and that didn’t happen on Sunday against the Commanders. Yes, Daniel Jones completed 13-of-16 short passes, but those plays gained a total of just 46 yards – in essence, they were no better than handoffs that come with more risk because you’re putting the ball in the air.
Offense: The Giants are averaging a league-worst 5.1 yards per play on first down this season (since 2013, only the 2015 San Diego Chargers and the 2020 Philadelphia Eagles have posted lower marks for a season).
Defense: The Giants own the highest sack rate in the league (12.3%).
Fantasy: Five times this season has a rookie receiver played 70% of the snaps and been targeted on at least one-third of his route:
- Malik Nabers (Week 2 at Commanders)
- Malik Nabers (Week 3 at Browns)
- Malik Nabers (Week 4 vs. Cowboys)
- Brian Thomas Jr. (Week 4 at Texans)
- Malik Nabers (Week 9 vs. Commanders)
Betting: Pick a side and commit – seven of New York’s past 10 road games have seen the spread (in one direction or another) be covered by at least a dozen points.
Carolina Panthers
Team: Carolina is being out-scored by 16.2 points per game, the third worst mark through nine weeks over the past decade (2020 Jets: -16.3, 2019 Dolphins: -19.1).
QB: When throwing the ball 10-plus yards down the field this season, Bryce Young has completed just 20-of-51 passes (39.2%) with one touchdown against six interceptions.
Offense: We thought last season was rock bottom? Through nine weeks, Carolina is averaging 5.5 fewer yards of offense per game this season than last.
Defense: The Panthers have allowed the second-highest opponent passer rating through nine weeks (111.2).
Fantasy: Not only does Jonathon Brooks loom, but defenses are wising up to the Chuba Hubbard strength of this offense – in Weeks 8-9, 50% of his carries came against a loaded box (Weeks 5-7: 18.8%).
Betting: Underdogs have failed to cover four of the past five Sunday morning games.