Lions @ Panthers
Final Score: Lions 26, Panthers 32
Writer: Christian Otteman (@COttemanPL on Twitter)
In a Sunday Night Football matchup between two ferocious felines, the Panthers’ defense bent but did not break against the Lions’ 4th-quarter comeback. Bryce Young, Chuba Hubbard, and Tet McMillan all went ballistic against a vulnerable Detroit team and won their seventh straight game against the Lions in Carolina. The Panthers will get a week to rest up as one of the first teams on bye, while the Lions will look to get back in the win column against the Cardinals on the road.
Three Up
- Tet McMillan – A truly dominant performance, falling just short of 200 receiving yards. Even when Jalen Coker returns, it’s clear that Tet is the alpha of this offense.
- Jameson Williams – A boom Jamo game! All that was missing was a touchdown.
- Future Lions Opponents – Just play guys against this defense. It’s that simple.
Three Down
- Jahmyr Gibbs – By far Gibbs’ worst game of the season, yet he still found a way with a touchdown and 4 receptions.
- Darren Waller – After allowing 6 touchdowns to TEs through the first three weeks, Waller’s 3/36 line is somewhat disappointing.
Detroit Lions
Quarterback
Jared Goff: 35/52, 412 Yards, 1 TD
It wasn’t the best game for Jared Goff, especially when considering that the Panthers were missing two of their corners. Goff missed open receivers on multiple occasions, and it felt like his timing was off with many of the big names on Detroit’s offense. The stat line is still prolific, at least from a yardage standpoint, but this was a game the Lions could have won if the offense was a little more in sync. The Lions failed to earn a single first down on their potential game-winning drive, sputtering on four plays. Goff should still be a solid fantasy starter most weeks due to his supporting cast and terrible defense.
Running Back
Jahmyr Gibbs: 15 Carries, 46 Yards, TD | 7 Targets, 4 Receptions, 31 Yards
Gibbs was the only Lions running back to tally a carry, and although his performance was a little underwhelming, he still gave you a somewhat productive day by finding the end zone yet again. Gibbs is obviously one of the premiere fantasy plays at RB and will be a contender for the RB1 overall every single week.
Sione Vaki: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 17 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Amon-Ra St. Brown: 11 Targets, 8 Receptions, 75 Yards
Another high-volume day that feels somewhat underwhelming for St. Brown, but this is the kind of floor you’re used to seeing with him. Keep rolling him out there as an every-week WR1–those spike weeks will come soon enough.
Jameson Williams: 8 Targets, 6 Receptions, 102 Yards
A step in the right direction for Jameson Williams, but he’ll be the first to tell you that he left a few out there. Jamo got behind the secondary multiple times with his blistering speed, but there was at least one reception that he should have hauled in that could have been a house call. Williams is still the prototypical boom/bust receiver we love to debate about starting every week, but it’s at least reassuring to see him earn 8 targets.
Carolina had 5 guys back and still gets burnt by Jameson Williams. pic.twitter.com/tqQRwmlcSo
— Chad Fisher DNP (@ChadFisher) October 5, 2026
Sam LaPorta: 13 Targets, 8 Receptions, 84 Yards, TD
LaPorta was just missed in the end zone during the Lions’ 4th-quarter charge but was found just a few plays later to bring the Lions within a touchdown. Goff often looks LaPorta’s way in short and intermediate situations and he’s back to being a key cog in the offense. He should remain a locked-in TE1 for the remainder of the season.
Goff finds LaPorta to make it a one-score game 👀@DETvsCAR on NBC/Peacock
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/IOYT9Xw95D— NFL (@NFL) October 5, 2026
Brock Wright: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 8 Yards
Carolina Panthers
Quarterback
Bryce Young: 29/41, 329 Yards, 2 TD | 3 Carries, 3 Yards
It is so easy for me to root for Bryce Young and watch him succeed after his struggles at the beginning of his career. Sustained success has always been the problem with Bryce, but through four weeks, he’s looked poised and consistently delivered for both the Panthers and your fantasy teams. Even when missing Jalen Coker, Young was able to lead Carolina to victory by feeding Tetairoa McMillan. He also used his legs to pick up a key first downs early on. Young is genuinely pushing for weekly starter status in QB1 leagues, at least in softer matchups like this one.
Running Back
Chuba Hubbard: 20 Carries, 122 Yards, 2 TD | 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 7 Yards
That’s Hubbard’s second two-score game in just four weeks! Chuba had a solid first half but played like a beast in the second, amassing nearly 100 scrimmage yards in the second half alone. With the improved offensive play and stronghold on the workhorse role, it sure seems like Hubbard is a weekly RB1.
AJ Dillon: 5 Carries, 2 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 5 Yards
AJ Dillon got a few opportunities in short-yardage situations, but he doesn’t have a large enough role to be considered more than an emergency handcuff.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Tetairoa McMillan: 16 Targets, 14 Receptions, 192 Yards, 2 TD
As the kids would say, Tet absolutely “mogged” DJ Reed for most of the night and had his best game of the season against the hapless Lions secondary. Let’s not attribute this whole performance to an atrocious defense, though–Tet made some truly impressive grabs and showed why he was touted as an elite prospect in last year’s draft. While he won’t get as soft a matchup as this every week, and Jalen Coker should return somewhat soon, he belongs in your lineups every week.
BRYCE TO MCMILLAN FOR 6️⃣@DETvsCAR on NBC/Peacock
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/7Owb2F0Uni— NFL (@NFL) October 5, 2026
John Metchie III: 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 37 Yards
Always a player I’ll root for, but Metchie doesn’t have any fantasy utility right now.
Darren Waller: 6 Targets, 3 Receptions, 36 Yards
A disappointing stat line for a player who has received tons of red zone targets to start the season. The Lions had allowed a whopping 6 touchdowns to tight ends through the first three weeks, making Waller a popular streamer heading into the week, but he was unable to capitalize, even with Coker and Xavier Legette out. He’s a TD-or-bust streamer until further notice.
Brycen Tremayne: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 32 Yards
Tommy Tremble: 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 12 Yards
Mitchell Evans: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 8 Yards
Ja’seem Reed: 1 Target, 0 Receptions