Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, December 24th, 1:00 pm EST
Location: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
Betting Odds: GB – 5 O/U 36.5 Total via PFF.com
Network: FOX
Writer: Matt Prendergast (@amazingmattyp on X/Twitter)
Green Bay Packers
Quarterback
Jordan Love (Start, QB2)
The Green Bay Packers are turning into a bit of a mess, like the “going to need a comprehensive therapy plan and some responsible medication” kind of mess. They aren’t terrible, except for when they are, but the real joy is that there’s no telling when they’re going to just trash it all up! This chaotic neutral state noted, last week’s loss wasn’t so much on the offense as much as it was on a defensive game plan that leaned heavily on distant observation as opposed to “active participation,” which is innovative, I guess.
Anyway, on to Jordan Love: he has remained a pretty productive quarterback fantasy-wise, even in weeks when he’s not looking the part on the field. At this point, if you were playing him pretty consistently, he’s probably your best option and a reason why you’re battling in the playoffs in the first place. However, this is a tough, tough matchup, so beware: the 2023 Carolina Panthers are terrible at many things, but pass defense is not one of them. They’re allowing only 171.6 yards per game to the opposition. I would look for Matt LaFleur’s atypical 50/50 run/pass split, and some success for Love as he spreads it around. Just don’t expect a QB1 stat line. In my long-standing local league, I’m running him out in the semifinals without a doubt; Kyler Murray didn’t get me here, and he hasn’t been dishing out earth-shattering performances since returning, either. Expect mid-to-high QB2 production from Love this week.
Running Backs
Aaron Jones (Start, Flex), AJ Dillon (Sit), Patrick Taylor/Kenyan Drake (Sit)
This one’s pretty simple, and to the point: Aaron Jones has given you one great game, one good game, and a lot of time on the sidelines looking cool in hats and shades. This is a decent matchup on paper, primarily because Carolina has been friendlier to runners than passers this year, but also because Jones should in theory be utilized to get that part of the game rolling. I just don’t trust this offense or coaching staff to do right by fantasy managers. You’re in the playoffs, and you got there by figuring a way to not lean on a lousy season for Aaron Jones; if you’re rostering him, he’s a luxury spare part. Put him in the flex and hope he’s got one more good game stored in him. Jones managers won’t mind if AJ Dillon misses another game with his broken thumb because frankly, he cuts into carries and a split backfield curses an otherwise solid fantasy outing. Kenyan Drake played last week. One carry. Zero yards. Patrick Taylor also received a carry, managed six yards on it, and then proceeded to pull his all-purpose contributions down to two total yards thanks to two-for-two receiving for -4 yards. Great work, fellas!
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Jayden Reed (Start, WR3), Romeo Doubs (Sit), Dontayvion Wicks (Sit) Malik Heath (Sit), Tucker Kraft (Start, TE2)
I’m not even checking the Christian Watson updates, I’ll just assume he’s out again here because I haven’t heard of any progression on exorcising the demon that keeps haunting his hamstrings. Instead, I’ll continue to love Jayden Reed, who has seen a steady increase in targets since Waston went out. Reed has notched 8 and 10 looks in the past two weeks and has scored a touchdown in three of the last four games. He comes close to grading out as a WR2, but this is a rougher matchup, and he’ll be the focal point of defensive concentration as the team’s primary offensive threat. All the love and hope I once had for Romeo Doubs has slowly ebbed away as the season went on. He eclipsed 50 yards receiving only twice in the past eight games, and appears to be a fantasy victim of the same “spreading the wealth” Packers’ approach that continues to kill my enthusiasm for Dontayvion Wicks. Despite a great 97-yard outing against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from Wicks, one game doesn’t build my trust in the ‘win or go-home’ atmosphere of the playoffs.
Malik Heath isn’t on your roster; keep it that way. I do like Tucker Kraft again, however. At a position featuring a thin layer of must-starts, Kraft plays fiercely and has turned in consecutive games of 64 and 57 yards with a touchdown in there. To be honest, I like him WAY more than I liked any Luke Musgrave effort earlier in the season; he plays much more violently and this team needs some guys that will get the blood running. I don’t put him over a Travis Kelce or Sam LaPorta, but I’m probably flipping a coin between Kraft and say, Isiah Likely.
Carolina Panthers
Quarterback
Bryce Young (Sit)
Quick trivia question: what do some fantasy teams and the Carolina Panthers have in common? Answer: Neither of them made it to the playoffs with Bryce Young as their quarterback. Look, this isn’t a long-term condemnation of Young or the team that drafted him, it’s just simple math> anyone currently in their fantasy football playoffs didn’t get there on the back of a guy that hasn’t scored over ten points since Week 8. Sit Young. Let’s move on.
Running Backs
Chuba Hubbard (Start, RB2), Miles Sanders (Sit)
Green Bay is terrible against the run…and now also, the pass! Now granted, they did keep Tampa Bay under 100 yards on the ground last week (99!) which is the first time they’ve done so to any team since the Rams in Week 9. However, let’s keep in mind they only did so because BAKER MAYFIELD PUT 353 IN THE AIR ON THEM. It’s an odd sentence to say with vehemence, but here we go: Bryce Young and this receiving crew are NOT on the level of Baker Mayfield, Chris Godwin, and Mike Evans. In other words, it should be a volume-heavy day for “finally the bride, not the bridesmaid” Chuba Hubbard, who has put consecutive 87-yard games on against superior run defenses in the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints. It’s not so much that I strongly believe in Hubbard; I just know how terrible this defense and its architect are (somehow, this is not something the head coach can come to terms with). I almost graded Hubbard out as an RB1 just on the matchup alone, but Chuba’s lack of end-zone prowess (only four on the whole year) shakes me to my senses a little here. Meanwhile, ‘Above Average’ Miles Sanders briefly peaked his head out of his slumber two weeks back against New Orleans with 74 yards, but saw his own shadow; we’ll have another off-season of him middling his way through the contract he scored as a moderately-pursued free agent.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
Adam Thielen (Start, Flex), DJ Chark (Sit), Jonathon Mingo (Sit), Tommy Tremble (Who?)
I’m going to be straight with you here: I haven’t been real into the Carolina Panthers this year. Based on their 2-12 record, it doesn’t feel like any of them are into Panthers football either, so I’m giving myself a pass on the part where I completely missed that there’s something called a Tommy Tremble starting at tight end for them now; that feels like a 1980s power-pop legend. Anyway, I looked him up, and he’s got great hair; that’s about where it ends. Not that Hayden Hurst was tearing it up (all respect to Hurst as he recovers from a pretty scary-sounding head injury), but Tremble has four catches in four games on a terrible team, and he’s a big “no thanks” for anyone setting a playoff fantasy football lineup.
Moving forward, if you’re considering playing anybody from the Panthers’ WR room, it’s Adam Thielen; that is where the conversation ends. If you’ve got other ideas, you were eliminated from fantasy playoff contention a month back, and are no longer reading these pieces. I wish you and your fantasy hockey season the best.
Anyway, Thielen leads the team in targets by a ton (120 to Jonathan Mingo‘s second place 81) and is the clear-cut WR1 here, but that’s like finishing as the consolation bracket winner. It’s certainly some mark of achievement, but it somehow still feels bad. Our man Adam has only two games over the 70-yard mark since the middle of October, and no touchdowns since then, either. If you have other high-floor options, or even high-risk/reward receivers who offer high ceilings, I’d probably run with those over Thielen. That said, the Texans do give a lot up to receivers, so if you’re pushed, stick him in a flex and hope.
D.J. Chark is the exact same guy he’s been for three years – semi-monthly flashes of “what could be” followed by a lot of “what actually is,” which is a pile of disappointment and wasted bench space. Chark has one great game this year, way back at the end of September. Somehow I still have him on a dynasty roster. Meanwhile, Jonathan Mingo has maintained a healthy target share, but has yet to see the end zone or break 70 yards receiving in a single game. Over the past two weeks he went 4-for-5 for 32 against Atlanta, and TWO-FOR-NINE?!?!…uh, two-for-nine for 22 yards against the Saints. Maybe next year.