Panthers Fantasy Update and Look Ahead

As a rule of thumb I don't draft Panthers for my fantasy teams because I'm such a Homer I always over-pay and then when on my team I always think they are going to have a good week. Looking at where Panther players stand in fantasy points show my strategy to be a pretty smart one this season. The Panthers do not have a single player in the top 10 for their position after week 12. With maybe one week left in the Fantasy regular season (depending which league you play in) there are still some Panthers that could score for you based on the match-up. Remember, you can get weekly fantasy advice at SBN's fantasy site Fake Teams.

DeAngelo Williams is the 11^th ranked RB (ESPN traditional scoring) with 145 points. Williams is averaging over 5 yards per carry on just under 16 carries per game. That number should go up over the next several games as the Panthers face a couple weak run defenses. Williams should be a good play the rest of the season outside of the Giants game. If the Giants have home field wrapped up then he may be a good play that week too.

Jake Delhomme is the 21^st ranked QB (114 points) who is sure to have a least a couple good fantasy days left in the season. The only problem is picking which games that might be as there is not rhyme or reason to his inconsistency. He has put up low scores against bad teams and good and vice versa. I'd like to think he could put up big numbers against the Packers and Broncos but who knows? Unless you have no other viable option I would stay away from playing Jake.

Steve Smith is the 12^th ranked WR (102 points), a low position for him until you consider he missed the first 2 games. Though Smith has been erratic too given he relies on Jake he should continue to be a good play most weeks. Smith is playing well, playing inspired and seems ready to put the Panther offense on his shoulders if Jake can just get him the ball. That will rely heavily on an offensive line that has struggled the past two weeks in spite of being healthy for the first time in a while. Honestly, if you have Smith on your team he's hard to bench and I would start him every game from here on out.

K John Kasay is the 13^th ranked kicker with 94 points and is essentially Mr. Automatic inside 52 yards. His point total is down from previous years because of the Panther ball-control offense that reduces the number of scoring opportunities. He is a good play against lesser defenses (Packers, Broncos & Saints) that should give the Panthers offense a higher number of scoring chances.  

Jonathan Stewart is the 31^st ranked RB (83 points) who suffers from limited carries that make him too inconsistent to start. He has had a few big games but it's hard to predict when that next big game will be. Stewart is also battling a toe injury and it's unclear how much it is bothering him. I would think the games against the Packers and Saints would provide the opportunity to play him but I wouldn't chance it unless you don't have a better match-up.

The Panthers have the 11^th ranked defense as they rely in low scoring and an occasional turnover. They have yet to score on special teams so there are not points coming from that phase of the game. They also don't put up a lot of sacks. Looking at their remaining schedule I think the only good play remaining would be the Bucs game on Monday night. I think the defense will be fired up for that one.

Musin Muhammad is the 30^th ranked WR with 78 points. At times Moose has put up big games but we've rarely seen it the past few weeks. Moose is good in the red zone though as Jake looks for the usually sure-handed Muhammad. Overall he might be worth a spot start against the Broncos or Saints.

Neither of the Panthers two TE's, Dante Rosario or Jeff King are ranked higher than 32^nd and therefore are not worth starting at any point remaining in the season.

So in summary I think Williams, Smith and Kasay are good starts most weeks and that Delhomme, Moose, Stewart and the Panther D might worth a couple spot starts.