Carolina Panthers - Fantasy News

Vikings at Panthers Start 'Em / Sit 'Em

by Aaron Bowers

12/7/17

NFL

Carolina Panthers

Cam Newton

The Minnesota Vikings wrap up their tour through the NFC South on Sunday when they travel to Carolina to take on the Panthers. The Vikes have already beaten the Saints, Buccaneers and Falcons and will try to make it 4-0 with a win over Carolina.

After Philadelphia’s loss to Seattle in Week 13, the Vikings are in the driver’s seat for home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. They’ve won their last eight games, played stellar defense and are getting just enough out of their offense to get by in close games.

Meanwhile, the 8-4 Panthers are currently one game back of New Orleans for the lead in the NFC South. After an underwhelming 2016 season, the Carolina defense has re-established itself as one of the best units in the league. The offense, however, has struggled at times despite being led by a quarterback two years removed from an MVP season.

Minnesota Vikings Week 14 Projected Fantasy Points
Case Keenum: 17.5 PFP
Adam Thielen: 12.5 PFP
Stefon Diggs: 11.5 PFP
Kyle Rudolph: 9.0 PFP
Latavius Murray: 9.0 PFP
Jerick McKinnon: 8.5 PFP
Kai Forbath: 8.0 PFP

Carolina Panthers Week 14 Projected Fantasy Points
Cam Newton: 18.5 PFP
Christian McCaffrey: 12.0 PFP
Devin Funchess: 11.5 PFP
Graham Gano: 7.5 PFP
Jonathan Stewart: 6.5 PFP
Greg Olsen: 5.0 PFP

Start 'Em: Latavius Murray (9.0 PFP)
Dober Fantasy Points Per Game: 8.27

As the season has progressed, Murray seems to be getting stronger. After failing to eclipse 5.3 DFP over the first six weeks, he has put up consecutive totals of 17.3, 5.2, 12.8, 22.1, 14.4 and 11.2 DFP. Over that span, he has more than 16 touches in every single game, giving him a safe floor against a Carolina defense that has given up 4.11 yards per carry to opposing running backs in 2017. Additionally, Murray has proven to be one of the best goal-line running backs in the league. He scored 12 touchdowns in 14 games last season with the Raiders and has scored five times in his last six contests with the Vikings. All this adds up to a solid target for Dober Play Cards this week.

Sit 'Em: Stefon Diggs (11.5 PFP)
Dober Fantasy Points Per Game: 11.61

Another week, another disappointing outing for Diggs. Whether due to a lingering groin injury or some other factor, Diggs has been absolutely terrible over his last five games. During that span, he has one game with more than 9.9 DFP, one with more than four receptions and another with more than 66 yards. Since returning from injury, he ranks third on the team in targets and has just two more than running back Jerick McKinnon. Week 13 was an especially low point as he scored just 4.7 DFP and most of that was on a broken play in which Case Keenum held the ball for nearly eight seconds. Diggs will get right at some point, but we’ll recommend fading him until he does.

Start 'Em: Christian McCaffrey (12.0 PFP)
Dober Fantasy Points Per Game: 12.12

Matching up with one of the best defenses in the league, it’s not easy to find players on this anemic Carolina offense that we feel good about targeting. McCaffrey is the best skill-position player the Panthers have, so it’s easier to imagine a scenario in which he gets over his PFP than any of his teammates. McCaffrey has more targets than any running back in the league and ranks second at the position in receptions with 64. He has scored more than 12.0 DFP in three of his last four games, and Carolina will need him to be great in order to win this game. It’s not exactly a ringing endorsement, but we feel good about targeting CMC at 12.0 PFP.

Sit 'Em: Cam Newton (18.5 PFP)
Dober Fantasy Points Per Game: 19.07

While his fantasy numbers look good for the season, Newton hasn’t played well enough to justify targeting him at 18.5 DFP against the Vikings. Minnesota has given up an average of 13.2 DFP per game to quarterbacks this season, fifth-best in the league. They’ve been even better over their last three games, holding Jared Goff, Matt Stafford and Matt Ryan to 9.8, 14.0 and 7.0 DFP, respectively. Though Newton often supplements his mediocre passing stats with rushing production, Minnesota has held quarterbacks to a league-low 56 rushing yards this season. Only one opposing passer has eclipsed 17.5 DFP against the Vikings, and with how poorly the Carolina offense has played lately, it’s unlikely Newton gets anywhere near his PFP this week.