Fansided

49ers at Panthers: 5 best fantasy options

By John Buhler

Sep 8, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Carolina Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis (58) celebrates a turnover against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos defeated the Panthers 21-20. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 8, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Carolina Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis (58) celebrates a turnover against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos defeated the Panthers 21-20. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 5
Next

The Carolina Panthers will host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday afternoon. Here are the five best fantasy football plays for this Week 2 matchup.

The Carolina Panthers (0-1) are going to play the San Francisco 49ers (1-0) on Sunday afternoon in what seems like the most lopsided contest on the young season. According to OddsShark.com, the Panthers a staggering 13.5-point home favorite on the 49ers.

Carolina went 15-1 in 2015 en route to an NFC Championship. San Francisco struggled to a 5-11 record and the No. 7 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. The Panthers do have arguably a top-four roster in the NFC, while the 49ers seem to still be in the bottom tier.

However, Carolina that is staring at potentially an 0-2 start and not the 49ers. The Panthers lost a tough one in Denver, 21-20 last Thursday night. San Francisco shutout division rival Los Angeles, 28-0 on Monday night football.

With many interesting players on both teams, here are the five guys that make sense to play on your fantasy football team this weekend from this NFC game in Charlotte.

Sep 1, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers kicker Phil Dawson (4) follows through on an extra point during the fourth quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 1, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers kicker Phil Dawson (4) follows through on an extra point during the fourth quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Phil Dawson

While NFL.com only has him projected to get 1.0 points and ESPN.com has him slightly better at 6.3 points, if you’re going to play somebody on the 49ers this weekend, why not give it a roll with a great field goal kicker like Phil Dawson?

Dawson’s low projected point totals stem from a belief that the Panthers are going to obliterate the 49ers on Sunday afternoon. Fantasy experts don’t think the 49ers are going to put up points on a strong Carolina defense. That may be true, but Dawson has 50+ field goal range and his team’s offense looks improved under new head coach Chip Kelly.

San Francisco looked very well-coached on Monday Night Football against the Los Angeles Rams. Though pitching a shutout against the Panthers on Sunday seems improbable, do expect the 49ers to do a better job of moving the chains than last year with Kelly now calling the shots.

This doesn’t mean that the 49ers are going to get into the end zone often, or at all, against the Panthers on Sunday. It just means that Dawson will have more opportunities to kick long field goals to help your fantasy team win a tight ball game.

If the 49ers can convert first downs like they did against a good Rams defense last week, expect Dawson to be close to 10 fantasy points in this game against the Panthers. He is the better kicker to play than Graham Gano in this contest.

Next: 4. Carolina Panthers defense

Home/Carolina Panthers