From a fantasy standpoint the Panthers 16-8 win over the Cowboys was a dud for everyone in the home whites, with the exception of the Panthers defense. They put up a respectable 13 points, 6 over their projection. Beyond that, there were a couple decent numbers but nothing that helped you win this week. McCaffrey owners can blame Alex Armah for vulturing a touchdown.
QB Cam Newton 15.24 pts (vs 17.78 projected)
RB Christian McCaffrey 13.5 pts (vs 17 projected)
WR Devin Funchess 7.1 pts (vs. 11 projected)
One of my golden rules of fantasy is to never drop a player after one bad week. That includes these Panthers, with the exception of TE Greg Olsen. He was injured and is out of action for the foreseeable future. There is good news for Olsen owners though, 4 of the top 8 scoring TEs in week 1 are on most waiver wires:
So queue one up and don’t be shy about spending some FAAB money on the position. You need a starter and my recommendation from the group above is George ‘Bits O’ Kittle. Jared Cook is just too unpredictable week to week; Dissly is just too unknown to pick up yet, and Eric Ebron has too often been a one week flash.
For those of you with multiple leagues like myself (I have 8 leagues across 3 apps) I love the Fantasy Pros Waiver Assistant that shows me in which leagues my target player is available. Take TE George Kittle for example. I can quickly see he is available in 5 of my 8 leagues (and he is already on one of my rosters):
That sure saves me a lot of time instead of having to go into each league and do a player search in each.
Top Adds for the Week
QB
If you want the Week 1 top scorer then I’m sure he is on the wire as well. Who would have guessed Buccaneers QB Ryan Fitz-Magic Fitzpatrick would be the weeks top scorer with 57 points! Certainly not me. I’m still undecided on whether he really played that well or the Saints defense is that bad. I think it’s a little of both and therefore Fitzpatrick could be a solid play for the next couple of weeks if you need him.
RB
TJ Yeldon is a solid pick up with Leonard Fournette getting dinged up in the opener. Especially in our PPR leagues. If Fournette is ruled out for Week 2 then Yeldon is a solid RB2 or flex play against the Patriots in Week 2.
WR
With DeVante Parker out, Kenny Stills got the chance to shine and he made the most of it, catching 4 of 5 targets for 106 and 2 touchdowns. Don’t expect that every week, especially once Parker returns.
D/ST
If the Bears defense is still on your wire you should grab them. One man wrecking crew Khalil Mack is for real and so is this defense. Of course the Panthers are a good play every week as well, but I assume you knew that.
Kicker
I’m not usually one to change kickers after one week unless the guy shanked a couple or the team’s offense looks putrid. If that is your scenario see if Brian McManus is on the wire. I think the Broncos offense will be plenty potent this season to get McManus some kicks.