Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, December 12th, at 1:00 PM EST
Location: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
Betting Odds: ATL +2.5, 45.5 total via Oddsshark
Network: FOX
Atlanta Falcons
Quarterback
Matt Ryan (Sit)
The days of fantasy relevancy for Matt Ryan have been far behind him this season. Across his last four games, he’s thrown for just one touchdown and five interceptions. Matty Ice has had a hard go at this season, posting a 16:11 touchdown to interception ratio, with just 2,914 passing yards. The Panthers defense is on deck, and their pass rush code force Ryan into another bad outing. He’s best left on the wire.
Running Backs
Cordarrelle Patterson (Start, RB1), Mike Davis (Sit)
It was a ‘down’ Week 13 for Cordarrelle Patterson against Tampa Bay, but that was likely expected by many. He was held to 78 yards on 13 carries and caught three of five targets for 18 yards; good for 12.60 points in full-PPR formats. Carolina won’t be an easy task either, as they have allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to RB’s this season. In Week 8 against the Panthers, Patterson managed to post 18.20 points in full-PPR leagues; nine carries turned into 35 yards, but did catch all five of his targets for 37 yards and a score. Mike Davis managed to have his best game in weeks against the Buccaneers, finding the end zone on a nice 17-yard run, and totaling 32 yards on the ground on four carries. He also caught all four of his targets for 37 yards. That being said, it’s hard to trust him, as he hasn’t had much fantasy relevancy dating back to Week 5.
Wide Receivers/Tight End
Russell Gage (Start, FLEX), Tajae Sharpe (Sit), Olamide Zaccheaus (Sit), Kyle Pitts (Start, TE2)
There are two Falcons pass-catchers worthy of starting most weeks, and it’s no different against Carolina. Russell Gage is a volume-based FLEX, as he’s seen 19 targets combined in his last two games, good for 17 receptions, 192 yards, and a touchdown. For further context, against Tampa Bay, he caught 11 of 12 targets for 130. Kyle Pitts is the other, but it’s worth noting that the rookie has struggled of late. Across his last three games, he’s totaled nine receptions on 18 targets for just 103 yards and no touchdowns. In fact, he hasn’t found the end zone since Week 5… yikes. You’ll continue to start him, no doubt, but expectations should be tempered if they haven’t yet already.
Carolina Panthers
Quarterback
Cam Newton (Sit), P.J. Walker (Sit)
Cam Newton was back, and then quickly left. He made his presence felt in his return to Carolina against the Football Team, but quickly fizzled out against the Dolphins. So much so, that he was benched for P.J. Walker. Newton somehow only completed a staggering five of 21 attempts for 92 yards and two interceptions before being pulled. Coming out of the BYE, HC Matt Rhule anticipates for Cam to start this week, and with whizkid OC Joe Brady fired over the weekend, perhaps more designed runs will be in store for him against a Falcons defense that has given up the second-most fantasy points to QB’s on the year. But even with the likes of Carson Wentz, Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa, and Mac Jones on their BYE, I would be hesitant to start Cam in this spot. Consider him a start-if-you-must QB2 if it comes down to it.
Running Backs
Chuba Hubbard (Start if you must, FLEX), Ameer Abdullah (Sit)
In a post-Joe Brady world, Matt Rhule wants to put an emphasis on the run game.
Panthers HC Matt Rhule said he stepped out of his comfort zone hiring Joe Brady someone he didn’t have a lot of history with or similar system. He doesn’t view it as a mistake but decided they needed to make a change/score more points. A couple of mentions to wanting to run more.
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) December 6, 2021
Will this open the door for rookie Chuba Hubbard to take over the backfield once again with Christian McCaffrey’s season over? Time will tell, though I feel as if he’s a start-if-you-must this week. And for many, you may have no choice considering the likes of Jonathan Taylor, Damien Harris, and Myles Gaskin are on their BYE. The Falcons have been poor against the run, allowing the fifth-most points to RB’s this fantasy season.
Veteran Ameer Abdullah is an interesting name to monitor, but holds no starting consideration.
Wide Receivers/Tight End
DJ Moore (Start, WR3 with WR2 upside), Robby Anderson (Sit), Tommy Tremble (Sit), Ian Thomas (Sit)
The only pass catcher worth starting, even with Newton under center, is DJ Moore. Despite the QB woes, he’s a target-hog, having seen 17 between the last two games with Newton and Walker. Overall, it’s been a disappointing season for Moore, but he remains a viable WR3 option. That same disappointment can be made when covering Robby Anderson, who’s been fantasy irrelevant essentially all season. Tight ends Tommy Tremble and Ian Thomas hold zero fantasy relevancy.
-Matthew Cava (@cavaM_ Twitter & Reddit)