Fansided

Thursday Night Football Week 9 Fantasy Preview: New Orleans Saints @ Carolina Panthers

By Zachary Thompson

Sep 28, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) and wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin (13) during a break in action against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 28, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) and wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin (13) during a break in action against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Week 9 kicks off tonight with an NFC South clash as the Saints and Panthers meet with the division lead on the line.  The teams come in trending in opposite directions after the Saints big win over Green Bay in week 8 while the Panthers have gone 0-2-1 in the last three weeks and have only one win since week 2 when Cam Newton returned and led them to a win to move to 2-0.

Here’s what to watch for this Thurdsay from a fantasy football perspective as the Thursday Night Football games move back to the NFL Network:

Quarterback

Oct 26, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) celebrates a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the third quarter of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints defeated the Packers 44-23. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 26, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) celebrates a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the third quarter of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints defeated the Packers 44-23. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

Saints: Last week, Drew Brees had a monster game in the Superdome against the Packers secondary throwing three touchdowns for the first time this season while tallying 311 yards.  He has four straight 300+ yard games, and will take on a Panthers secondary that has allowed a passing touchdown in every game this season and multiple passing scores in five of their last six games.  Overall, Carolina allows the eight-most fantasy points to opposing QB’s in standard scoring.  Even though he’s on the road out of his comfortable dome setting, Brees is still a top five QB option this week as he takes on a defense he’s familiar with in Carolina.

Panthers:  The Saints slowed down Aaron Rodgers a little bit last week, but still allowed him to throw for 426 yards and have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing QB’s in standard scoring. Those numbers bode well for Cam Newton who has looked healthy the last few weeks even though he struggled against the Seahawks defense last week.  I expect a nice game from Cam tonight at home against a divisional opponent, so start him as your QB1 confidently.

Running Back

Oct 26, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram (22) against the Green Bay Packers during the second half of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints defeated Packers 44-23. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 26, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram (22) against the Green Bay Packers during the second half of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints defeated Packers 44-23. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

Saints: The Saints RB rotation continues, but the only player who is involved on a regular enough basis to merit fantasy consideration is Mark Ingram. Last week, Ingram dominated taking 24 carries for 172 yards and a touchdown.  He looked fresh after missing time due to a hand injury, and makes a very nice RB2 play this week.  The Panthers have allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing RB’s in standard scoring giving Ingram legit RB1 upside if he continues to get that much of the Saints workload.  The reason he was so heavily used was that Khiry Robinson and Pierre Thomas both missed the game.  Neither of those backs have returned to practice early this week, so look for Travaris Cadet to get a little bit of work in passing situations.  Cadet may get a few touches, but he’s only a flex option if you’re desperate.

Panthers: The Panthers backfield is starting to get healthy although the upside of the group is still limited due to the timeshare Carolina uses and the fact that Cam Newton steals a lot of the rushing opportunities and short-yardage TD’s.  DeAngelo Williams returns after missing four weeks and is expected to step right in and start although he will still share carries with Jonathan Stewart.  Neither are great RB3 or flex options, but either one could be deployed in deep leagues or if the bye week leaves you short-handed. Look for other options, if possible, since the Saints have held their opposing running backs under 70 yards in their last three games and in four of their last five.

Wide Receiver

Saints: New Orleans receivers are hard to count on since Brees spreads the ball around, but they do have upside in a prolific passing attack against the Panthers secondary who have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing receiveers in non-PPR scoring. The top threat I’d go with as a WR3 is Brandin Cooks who led the team with six catches for 94 yards and a touchdown and also scored on a running play from four yards out last week against the Packers.  Cooks has breakout potential and favorable matchups upcoming, so if someone gave up on him too early, make the move to add him to your roster before tonight’s game.  Marques Colston and Kenny Stills will also be targeted in the passing game, but they have more boom-or-bust potential as flex plays, so try and get something a little more solid if possible in standard formats.

Oct 26, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin (13) with the ball as Seattle Seahawks strong safety Kam Chancellor (31) defends in the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 26, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin (13) with the ball as Seattle Seahawks strong safety Kam Chancellor (31) defends in the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

Panthers: Carolina’s offense doesn’t have the depth of receiving threats which actually makes Kelvin Benjamin the best wide receiver play in this game as a strong WR2 with top ten upside as he takes on a Saints secondary that has given up eight touchdowns to opposing receivers in their last four games.  Benjamin has quickly emerged as Cam Newton’s favorite receiver target and is a must-start in almost all formats in tonight’s matchup.

Tight End

Saints: Both teams have a productive tight end, but both also effective in shutting down opposing TE as well.  The Panthers allow the sixth-fewest fantasy points to opposing TE, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t start Jimmy Graham who looks to be back to his normal, dominant self after a shoulder injury limited him for a few weeks.  He is a top-five option at the position this week despite a seemingly difficult matchup.

Panthers: The Saints are even better than Carolina at limiting opposing TE allowing the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing TE’s and not allowing a TE touchdown since all the way back in week 1.  Due to his heavy involvement in the Panthers passing attack and the limited options this week, Greg Olsen is still a TE1 this week, but I don’t expect a big week from him.  The Saints effectiveness against opposing tight ends only adds to the reasons that Kelvin Benjamin is such a strong start.

More from Carolina Panthers

Team D/ST

Saints: You probably don’t want to play either team’s defense is this one.  The Panthers have been a bit turnover-prone when Cam gets pressured, but the Saints are only a desperate play since they have a tendency to be beaten up on the road.

Panthers: Taking this defense against Drew Brees and the Saints is not advisable even though New Orleans is out of their dome.  Try to get a different streaming option and avoid playing the D/ST’s in this game.

Home/Carolina Panthers