Carolina Panthers vs Washington Redskins
The Redskins were able to run the ball at will against a porous Carolina run defense, winning this game 29-21 in a game that never felt as close. After looking nearly unstoppable on offense for their first 2 drives, the Panthers could do absolutely nothing else from that point forward until a desperate late comeback. The Redskins held the ball for 30:37 while the Panthers held it for 29:23, but although the time of possession was fairly even, the Redskins dominated this game from start to finish. Ron Rivera may be on the hot seat as once again Carolina has crumbled down the stretch.
Carolina Panthers
Quarterback
- Kyle Allen: 27/46, 278 yards, 2 TD’s, 1 INT, 2 FUM (1 recovered) | 4 carries, 22 yards, 1 TD
Kyle Allen looked like the guy who tore up the Cardinals for 4 TD’s in his first start for his first two drives. Then everything fell apart. Allen showed little to no pocket awareness or decision-making ability as he turned the ball over three times and was again unable to lead the Panthers to a win despite the efforts of his playmakers. He constantly had pressure in his face and was sacked 7 times, as the Redskins front line came out of nowhere to wreck the Carolina offensive line. Allen cannot be trusted moving forward and will not be the Panthers’ starting quarterback next year. Drop him if you are somehow still rostering him in 1 QB leagues, and he cannot even be trusted as a confident start in superflex leagues. He’s not the worst quarterback I’ve ever seen, and he was able to put up a decent fantasy day despite the turnovers, but I would look elsewhere for streaming in the fantasy playoffs.
Running Backs
- Christian McCaffrey: 14 carries, 44 yards | 13 targets, 7 receptions, 59 yards
It’s unreal that a day in which Christian McCaffrey totals over 100 yards could be considered a disappointment, but that’s how dominant he has been. The Redskins’ front seven were able to somewhat contain him on the ground, stuffing him on 2 late-game red zone attempts, and Kyle Allen capped his receiving upside by being an inaccurate and inconsistent passer. McCaffrey is the best fantasy player in the league by a mile, and this game does nothing to dissuade that apart from imagining how unstoppable he would be if paired with a competent quarterback. His schedule for the fantasy playoffs isn’t necessarily juicy for a human, but McCaffrey has proved that he is not mortal. Let him carry your team to a fantasy championship as I’m sure he has carried it the entire year.
Wide Receivers/Tight End
- DJ Moore: 12 targets, 6 receptions, 75 yards, 1 TD | 1 carry, -3 yards
- Curtis Samuel: 7 targets, 4 receptions, 65 yards, 1 TD
- Greg Olsen: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 22 yards
- Jarius Wright: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 34 yards
- Ian Thomas: 4 targets, 4 receptions, 24 yards
DJ Moore and Curtis Samuel are legit studs in this league who are hampered by bad quarterback play. Moore continued his hot streak by leading the non-CMC pass-catchers in targets and continuously making plays in the intermediate area of the field. Moore is an every-week start who can’t be benched at this point. Depending on who the QB is next year, he could be a top-5 WR, and I’m not exaggerating; he’s that good. Samuel was a bit less targeted but still made the most of his opportunities; he was also overthrown by Allen on a long TD that would’ve given him a monster stat line. As is, you can be happy with his contributions, and unless you have better options, I would be confident starting Samuel as a flex play in the fantasy playoffs. Who I would not feel comfortable starting is Greg Olsen, who was out-targeted by Ian Thomas and is the clear #4 option in this offense. Olsen is not getting any younger and has been usurped by the younger players, as well as experiencing a downgrade in quarterback.
Washington Redskins
Quarterback
- Dwayne Haskins: 13/25, 147 yards | 4 carries, 6 yards | 2 FUM
Dwayne Haskins once again looked abysmal, but he also did not need to do much as the Redskins’ running game carried the team to their win. Haskins was thrown into a horrible situation with little weapons, but by this point, you would expect him to show something, anything that made him a top-rated prospect coming out of college. He is inaccurate, takes sacks too easily, is turnover-prone, and has no pass-catching talent outside of Terry McLaurin. If for some reason you are in a redraft league and still rostering Haskins, in any format, please drop him. He is the worst starting quarterback in the league by far and will hurt your fantasy team rather than helping it.
Running Backs
- Derrius Guice: 10 carries, 129 yards, 2 TD’s | 3 targets, 2 receptions, 8 yards
- Adrian Peterson: 13 carries, 99 yards, 1 TD | 1 target, 0 receptions, 1 FUM
The Redskins running game was unreal this week, as they gashed the Carolina run defense to the tune of 200+ yards and 3 TD’s. Anyone who stuck with Derrius Guice or picked him up off of waivers has to be feeling good about themselves right now. He looks entirely recovered from his injury woes, running with power, vision, and elusiveness. He is also not a slouch in the passing game either. Guice could be a potential league-winner if he keeps this up, and his playoff schedule is less than daunting. What may potentially cap his upside is the time split with Adrian Peterson, who out-carried him and also scored. Peterson didn’t look bad either, showing why he is still in the league and why he is considered one of the best running backs of all time. Both are flex options in the fantasy playoffs, although I would slightly lean Guice over Peterson. It’s not every day that both running backs for such a terrible team will score and go over 15 fantasy points. Next year, though, Guice could be a potential steal in fantasy drafts due to his injury history.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
- Terry McLaurin: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 8 yards
- Trey Quinn: 1 target, 0 receptions
- Kelvin Harmon: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 51 yards
- Jeremy Sprinkle: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 36 yards
- Steven Sims, Jr: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 29 yards
Let us all mourn Terry McLaurin, who started extremely hot this season with Case Keenum at quarterback but has been useless ever since his college teammate Haskins took over. McLaurin will need an improvement to his quarterback or coach to be relevant again, as he could be a bonafide star with a better situation. Elsewhere, Kelvin Harmon looks to have established himself as Haskins’ favorite target, though that does not mean anything. Keep an eye on Steven Sims, Jr. for next year, as he has established himself as an occasional playmaker. However, for the rest of this season, you cannot trust any of these pass-catchers. They are tied to the worst starting quarterback in the league, and none of them were exceptional talents to begin with. The Redskins are going to run, run again, and run some more until they can hopefully start over next season.
As a side note, I don’t know why I ever considered Trey Quinn a fantasy sleeper this year. He has done nothing all season, left this game early due to injury, and will likely never do anything in this league.
-Ryan Comeau