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Fantasy Football stars & studs, Week 5: Chase Claypool rocks

By Nicholas McGee

Pittsburgh Steelers rookie Chase Claypool (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
Pittsburgh Steelers rookie Chase Claypool (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
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ATLANTA, GEORGIA – OCTOBER 11: Mike Davis #28 of the Carolina Panthers reacts after their 32-16 win over the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 11, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – OCTOBER 11: Mike Davis #28 of the Carolina Panthers reacts after their 32-16 win over the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 11, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Mike Davis – Carolina Panthers

The Panthers continue to thrive without Christian McCaffrey and a large reason why Carolina has turned it around and sits at 3-2 is because of the play of McCaffrey’s fill-in at running back.

Davis is a journeyman on his fourth NFL team, yet he provided more compelling evidence that the identity of the running back does not have much of a bearing on ground-game performance as the Panthers recorded their third straight win by knocking off the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

He has kept the Carolina rushing attack operating at an efficient level. After averaging 5.25 yards per carry in the Panthers’ victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 4, Davis ran at a rate of 5.56 yards per clip in the 23-16 triumph against their NFC South rivals.

Davis finished with 89 yards on 16 carries and critically added value in PPR leagues by catching nine of his 10 targets from quarterback Teddy Bridgewater for 60 yards and a touchdown.

In PPR scoring, Davis finished with 29.9 points, though he may soon see a significantly reduced role in the Panthers’ offense, with McCaffrey eligible to return from injured reserve this week after spraining his ankle.

But Davis has proved he is worthy of consistent touches even when McCaffrey is back in the fold. Owned in 95 percent of ESPN leagues and 91 percent of Yahoo leagues, Davis is somebody who deserves to be kept on rosters regardless of McCaffrey’s status.

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