Panthers–Browns
Final Score: CAR 18-21 CLE
Carolina Panthers
Quarterback
Bryce Young (CAR) vs. CLE: 26/48 Passing, 291 Yards, 1 TD, 1 INT | 0 Carries, 0 Yards
Forty-eight throws. One touchdown. Twenty-two misses. Ryan Fitzgerald kicked from 35, 41, 53 and 37, which tells you everything about how many Carolina drives died inside scoring range. Bryce Young also got banged up after a second-quarter sack and stayed out there, and I would guess that explains a chunk of the back half. He got home eventually. Metchie from 8 with 4:25 left, 18-13. Then the two-point try failed and that, it turns out, was the whole ballgame. Cleveland scored at 1:48 and made theirs. Sixteen seconds left. Young throws short left for Darren Waller. Ronnie Hickman ends it. Seven touchdowns in the first two weeks, and then this.
Running Back
Chuba Hubbard (CAR) vs. CLE: 19 Carries, 82 Yards | 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 28 Yards
Chuba Hubbard had a game of two different halves. In the first half, the Browns’ defense gave him absolutely nothing on the ground, consistently holding him to gains of just one or two yards. His lone bright spot came on a short five-yard reception that Hubbard turned into a 25-yard gain, helping get Carolina into field-goal range before halftime. The key takeaway was that Hubbard handled every running back touch in the first half.
Things opened up for Hubbard after halftime, as he rushed nine times for 63 yards. He did a much better job finding running lanes and broke off multiple 10-plus-yard gains, including a 16-yard run late in the fourth quarter that helped set up a touchdown. Hubbard finished with 82% of the Panthers’ rushing attempts, showing that he should operate as a workhorse with Jonathan Brooks on IR.
AJ Dillon (CAR) vs. CLE: 4 Carries, 16 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, -2 Yards
AJ Dillon was used sparingly throughout the game, with his first touch not coming until the fourth quarter. His best play was an 11-yard run that helped move the offense into position for an eventual field goal. Dillon played the majority of that drive but was barely involved outside of it, showing he currently has a very limited role in the backfield.
Wide Receiver
Brycen Tremayne (CAR) vs. CLE: 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 83 Yards
Tremayne suprisingly led this receiver room in this contest. He saw most of his production only after Jalen Coker left the game.
John Metchie III (CAR) vs. CLE: 5 Targets, 2 Receptions, 19 yards, TD
Metchie recorded Carolina’s only touchdown of the game, giving them the lead in the fourth. He didn’t get any significant route volume.
Jalen Coker (CAR) vs. CLE: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 18 Yards
Coker left the game with a quad injury in the third quarter. It (allegedly) shouldn’t hold him out for too long.
Tetairoa McMillan (CAR) vs. CLE: 5 Targets, 2 Receptions, 17 Yards
Oof. The fourth round pick put up his worst performance of the season when facing a stout defense. The big receiver didn’t have time to develop his routes as Bryce Young was swarmed. He wasn’t able to complete the four-yard end zone target that rounded out the second half, which could have salvaged his fantasy day.
David Moore (CAR) vs. CLE: 2 Targets, 0 Receptions
Tight End
Darren Waller (CAR) vs. CLE: 8 Targets, 5 Receptions, 51 Yards
Tommy Tremble (CAR) vs. CLE: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 41 Yards
Mitchell Evans (CAR) vs. CLE: 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 36 Yards
Hmmm, so maybe there’s more to Darren Waller in this offense than being just an end zone target. With Mitchell Evans leaving this contest early, Waller saw an uptick in snaps and was used more frequently between the 20s. Waller is deserving of an add in most formats, but keep an eye on Evans’ availability moving forward to get a read on his potential usage.
Cleveland Browns
Quarterback
Deshaun Watson (CLE) vs. CAR: 16/30 Passing, 144 Yards, 2 TD, 0 INT | 1 Carries, 17 Yards
Watson threw a bad one deep right. Akayleb Evans had it in the end zone, easily, and for about two seconds Cleveland had handed the game away. Then the flag came in on Bobby Okereke for roughing the passer. Interception gone. So was Watson, who got up slow and walked off. One penalty and he lost a snap instead of the football. He came back and won the thing, which nobody in that stadium expected. Both touchdowns went to Harold Fannin, who was so uncovered on the 2-yarder it barely counted as a throw, and then the 14-yard winner with 1:48 left plus the two-pointer to Denzel Boston, 21-18. Somewhere in the middle Cleveland called a designed quarterback draw and Watson ran directly into one of his own blockers and slogged forward like a man crossing a marsh. Sixteen of 30 for 144. Two sacks. Two Szmyt field goals. The Browns are 2-1.
Shedeur Sanders (CLE) vs. CAR: 1/1 Passing, 0 Yards, 0 TD, 0 INT | 0 Carries, 0 Yards
One snap, one throw, one completion. Shedeur Sanders came in for the single play Watson missed, hit Quinshon Judkins on a short right for no gain, and sat back down. No first-team reps since the preseason, and he leaves Sunday as the only quarterback in the league who completed every pass he threw. Undefeated. Unblemished. Worth zero fantasy points.
Running Back
Quinshon Judkins (CLE) vs. CAR: 18 Carries, 70 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 9 Yards
Judkins assumed his typical early-down role and managed just under 4.0 yards per carry and added a couple of catches, which is always nice. Managers are still waiting on Judkins to find the end zone as he’s been shut out of the scoring for three-straight weeks now. The Browns offense isn’t exactly the best place to get red zone touches, but at least Judkins had a couple of them this week. If you believed enough to draft him, you might as well keep holding because this team isn’t as bad as we all thought they would be, and positive game scripts would do wonders for Judkins managers.
Raheim Sanders (CLE) vs. CAR: 1 Carry, 17 Yards | 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 34 Yards
In my mind, Sanders was a goal line back before the season. But with the injury to Dylan Sampson, he’s evolved his game to become the Browns’ reliable pass-catching back through three weeks. He was just six snaps shy of Judkins in this contest and ran more routes than the starting back. Keep an eye on the way the Browns roll out their running backs, because if the game script tilts negative it could mean more usage for Sanders, even to the point where he out-snaps Judkins in some cases.
Wide Receiver
KC Concepcion (CLE) vs. CAR: 7 Targets, 2 Receptions, 9 Yards
Denzel Boston (CLE) vs. CAR: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 41 Yards
It’s time to clear the runway for the rookies in Cleveland. Concepcion and Boston were on the field for 60 and 62 offensive snaps, respectively, out of 70 total snaps, while Jerry Jeudy played just 36 snaps and was not targeted. Concepcion was a safety outlet for Watson on several occasions, but most of the throws in his direction were uncatchable, or at the very least required a high degree of difficulty. Boston continues to be the guy that the Browns take downfield shots to. He’s probably the wide receiver I’d prefer to start, but Concepcion might be worth a look in PPR formats where he could accumulate fantasy points more consistently.
Jeudy and any other wide receivers on this roster are waiver wire fodder.
Tight End
Harold Fannin Jr. (CLE) vs. CAR: 9 Targets, 7 Receptions, 51 Yards, 2 TD
If last week’s ledger was a step in the right direction, this week was a full hop, skip, and a jump back to us trusting Harold Fannin Jr. in our lineups. The Browns’ offense may not be completely terrible, but next week’s game against the Steelers should be a tough test. Fannin should still be trusted as a borderline TE1 due to his target volume.
HAROLD FANNIN JR. WITH HIS 2ND TD OF THE GAME!!@CARvsCLE on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/AKkcxf3Iqi— NFL (@NFL) September 27, 2026