Carolina Panthers vs Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons took control of the game early and held the ball for much of the first quarter, and held a 13-10 lead at the half. They took over in the third quarter, scoring 17 unanswered points, and ran away with a 40-20 win. Things got out of hand in the middle of the third quarter, when Matt Ryan hit Olamide Zaccheaus for a 93-yard touchdown. The ensuing kickoff was fumbled by the Panthers, which the Falcons turned into a field goal to go up 30-10. Kyle Allen was under pressure all game, and couldn’t keep up with a Falcons offense that was at full strength with the return of Julio Jones and Austin Hooper from injury.
Carolina Panthers
Quarterback
- Kyle Allen: 28/41, 293 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 5 sacks | 6 carries, 24 yards, 1 TD
Kyle Allen was under duress all game, getting sacked five times and throwing two interceptions. He scored a rushing touchdown in the depths of garbage time with 1:26 left in the game. Allen fumbled twice and lost one, and missed some deep shots downfield to Curtis Samuel. Allen forced 22 attempts to Christian McCaffrey and Ian Thomas combined, as he was hesitant to get the ball to the receivers. Allen has some nice weapons and is often playing from behind, making him a sometimes intriguing streamer. But he has regressed as the year has gone on, and shouldn’t be trusted in the fantasy playoffs.
Running Backs
- Christian McCaffrey: 11 carries, 53 yards | 12 targets, 11 receptions, 82 yards
- Reggie Bonnafon: 1 carry, 6 yards
It was the Christian McCaffrey show once again, and while he didn’t come through with a touchdown this week, 11 receptions will certainly get the job done, especially in PPR leagues. There’s not much to talk about, McCaffrey is the RB1 in fantasy, and even in weeks like this where he doesn’t break a highlight reel long run and is held out of the end zone, his sheer volume gives him a solid floor.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- D.J. Moore: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 81 yards | 1 carry, 0 yards
- Curtis Samuel: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 25 yards | 3 carries, 17 yards
- Jarius Wright: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 30 yards
- Ian Thomas: 10 targets, 5 receptions, 57 yards, 1 TD
D.J. Moore is still the number one receiver on this team, though he had a bit of a down week this week. He still gave you a solid floor, so it wasn’t all bad. He made a nice contested catch downfield in the first half and made plays when given the opportunity. Allen ultimately was under heavy pressure and chose to get the ball out quickly to McCaffrey and Ian Thomas, putting a damper on Moore’s day.
Curtis Samuel had a potential touchdown in the first half where I thought he was interfered with, but he didn’t get the call. They got him the ball the first play out of the half, and they gave him three carries, so it is clear that Carolina wants the ball in his hands. But Samuel is a deep threat, and that isn’t always Allen’s strong suit. Samuel looked like he had his man beat deep later in the half, but was overthrown by Allen. Samuel is a very talented player but is a bit of a boom or bust option for fantasy purposes.
Jarius Wright worked into the offense with four catches and had a touchdown called back on a holding penalty. As the fifth option in the passing game, however, Wright has no fantasy value.
Filling in for the injured Greg Olsen, Ian Thomas was targeted early and often, leading all non-McCaffrey pass catchers with 10 targets. He was open most of the day on crossing routes, where Allen often found him. They surprisingly targeted him in contested catch situations down the sideline as well, and one turned into a bobbled interception. I wouldn’t count on Thomas out-targeting Moore most weeks, but Thomas looks like a solid tight end streamer for as long as Olsen is out.
Atlanta Falcons
Quarterback
- Matt Ryan: 20/34, 313 yards, 2 TD, 1 sack | 1 carries, 8 yards
Matt Ryan had much more time in the pocket this week, a welcome sight after taking a beating on Thanksgiving against the Saints. His day certainly looks better due to a 93-yard passing touchdown, but he took a hit in the pocket and delivered a strike downfield on the play, so he deserved it. The Falcons possessed the ball for a large chunk of the first quarter, and Ryan worked with the running game to keep this game under control throughout. Ryan missed a potential deep shot to Julio Jones, but otherwise played a good game, and has a nice combination of passing volume and weapons at receiver to make him a dependable fantasy starter.
Running Backs
- Devonta Freeman: 17 carries, 84 yards, 1 TD | 4 targets, 4 receptions, 10 yards
- Brian Hill: 9 carries, 62 yards, TD
- Qadree Ollison: 4 carries, 6 yards
Devonta Freeman took advantage of an excellent matchup against a bad Panthers run defense, giving fantasy owners one of his best weeks of the season. Early on, Freeman had a big run called back on a hold, which probably would have gotten him over 100 yards for the day. While Freeman wasn’t making highlight-worthy plays necessarily, he ran hard and looked healthy. Otherwise, Freeman primarily ceded work to Brian Hill when the game was already in hand and the Falcons chose to rest him. Hill scored his touchdown with five minutes left to put Atlanta ahead 40-13. Hill and Qadree Ollison got most of their work after the Falcons went ahead 30-10 with five minutes left in the third quarter, and are no more than handcuffs in a below-average rushing offense.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- Julio Jones: 8 targets, 5 receptions, 66 yards
- Calvin Ridley: 5 targets, 5 receptions, 76 yards, 1 TD
- Russell Gage: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 17 yards
- Olamide Zaccheaus: 2 targets, 1 reception, 93 yards, 1 TD
- Justin Hardy: 1 target, 1 reception, 19 yards
- Austin Hooper: 6 targets, 2 receptions, 32 yards
Julio Jones returned from injury and looked healthy this week. He was missing in action early on until Ryan hit him on a deep shot down the sideline, and he had a decent game the rest of the way. Ryan left a big play on the table by overthrowing Jones, and Jones was generally just used as the deep shot option in this one, missing out on short-range work that could give him a boost in PPR leagues. While Jones has had a bit of a disappointing season, he’s still a threat for a big play at any moment.
Calvin Ridley was on his way to a big game, looking like the primary option in the passing game while catching all five of his targets for 76 yards. Ridley scored when he found a hole in the Panthers’ zone down the sideline for a touchdown near the end of the first half. However, Ridley was seen in pain on the sideline and was carted off with what the team is calling an abdominal injury. He would not return to the game.
Russell Gage wasn’t as big of an option as he was without Jones in previous games, though he was targeted on a couple of third-down incompletions. An injury to Ridley could open up a bigger role for Gage going forward. Olamide Zaccheaus is a nice story, burning the Panthers secondary deep for a 93-yard touchdown, his first catch of his career. Zaccheaus would need injuries to more than just Ridley, however, to be on the fantasy radar. Austin Hooper returned from injury and seemed to be on the field for his normal amount of snaps. He had a disappointing day, however, with only two catches. His six targets were second on the team, so despite the down game, he should be a TE1 going forward.
-Erik Smith