Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, September 20, 2026, 5:00 PM ET
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
Network: FOX
Carolina Panthers
Quarterback
Bryce Young: SIT
Maddening. The inconsistency is maddening. Bryce Young threw for 361 yards and three touchdowns, and could have had two more tuddys, but they were negated by offensive pass interference calls. Where is this guy for most of the year? Young found Jalen Coker for two touchdowns and another to Chuba Hubbard, and connected on a couple of deep shots. This one was nice.
Bryce Young goes long to Jalen Coker!
CHIvsCAR on FOX/FOX One pic.twitter.com/y4dv1AgdzS
— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2026
I like what I saw, Bryce. I just want to see you do it against an NFL-caliber defense. There’s no need to start him in 1QB leagues when all teams are playing, and he’s close to a back-end QB2 for Superflex purposes.
Running Back
Chuba Hubbard: START, RB2
Jonathon Brooks: FLEX, RB3
Atlanta held the Steelers RB tandem to 58 rushing yards with 0.76 YPC and kept both members out of the end zone. There were questions if Jonathan Brooks would wind up playing due to a lingering injury, but he was active and played just 21% of snaps. Chuba Hubbard handled the majority of the work, but it was still only 10 carries and three targets to Brooks’ four and two. As Brooks gets healthy, it’ll be interesting to see if the man with all the offseason hype will be able to overtake Hubbard to lead the Panthers backfield. But for now, Hubbard is a low-end RB2 with Brooks a dangerous FLEX play.
Wide Receiver
Tetairoa McMillan: START, WR2
Jalen Coker: FLEX, WR4
Xavier Legette: SIT
I’m gonna get a whoooooooollllleee lot of hate for this. But like I said with Young, I want to see Jalen Coker play a real defense and put up a bonkers stat line before I’m ready to name him the next Jerry Rice. He’s not even the best receiver on his team. Atlanta held Pittsburgh in check (although that’s not saying much through the air these days), and I just can’t rank Coker as anything more than FLEX. Tetairoa McMillan ran more routes, had a higher ADoT, and is the superior talent of the two. I’m not trying to hate on Coker. I like the guy. But I’m not ready to crown him yet. I would love to see him prove me wrong.
Tight End
Darren Waller: SIT
Tommy Tremble: SIT
In a game where Bryce Young threw the ball for more than 360 yards and three touchdowns, these two combined for 10.3 fantasy points.
Defense/Special Teams
Carolina Panthers: SIT
It’s tempting to want to start anybody playing the Falcons and face whoever winds up under center. But as long as they have Bijan Robinson on that roster, I’m not starting a defense that gave up 291 rushing yards the week prior.
Atlanta Falcons
Quarterback
Michael Penix Jr.: SIT
Tua Tagovailoa: SIT
Cooper Rush: SIT
Whoever it is, sit.
Running Back
Bijan Robinson: START, RB1
Brian Robinson: SIT
Bijan Robinson has been in your lineup since draft night. He’s not one aisle of the gas station; he’s the entire Buc-ee’s. Everything stocked, everything spotless, people drive forty minutes out of their way just to get a glimpse.
Wide Receiver
Drake London: START, WR2
Jahan Dotson: SIT
Olamide Zaccheaus: SIT
It’s never been about the talent with Drake London, just who’s throwing him the ball. It won’t get better anytime soon unless Matt Ryan takes off his suit and tie and pulls a Phillip Rivers. Unrelated… how many kids does Ryan have?
In case you missed it, the Panthers got absolutely walloped by the Bears to the tune of 59 points in Week 1. A Ben Johnson offense the Falcons do not have, but London should still be able to get you a passable stat line in this matchup.
Tight End
Kyle Pitts Sr.: SIT
This one hurts like no other, but until Rush isn’t the starter, I can’t play Kyle Pitts. On an even more depressing note, his snap rate shrunk below 70% in Week 1 of 2026 after being in the 80-90% range for most of 2025. That’s not a recipe for success for fantasy football’s favorite tight end.
Defense/Special Teams
Atlanta Falcons: SIT
They shut down the Steelers, but there are far better options than risking that the Panthers’ offense might actually be good.