Panthers @ Saints
Final Score: Saints 18, Panthers 10
Writer: Corey Saucier (@Deputy_Commish on Twitter, /u/Lights_Kamara_Action on Reddit)
Let’s just face it: neither one of these offenses has been very exciting lately. A 4th quarter receiving TD for Saints’ RB Alvin Kamara was the first for the team in almost three entire games. The Saints have recently been dealing with a slew of injuries to key offensive linemen and several players (and coaches) landing on the Covid list. For the Panthers, QB Sam Darnold started out white-hot this season and fizzled nearly just as quickly. After a stint on the IR, Darnold is back, QB Cam Newton is out, and the Panthers’ offense is still without RB Christian McCaffrey and not exactly inspiring. Now, to be fair, the Saints’ defense is playing at an elite level – remember just two weeks ago they shut out QB Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in their own stadium. I guess what I’m getting at here is that I wasn’t expecting this to be a great matchup for fantasy championship weeks. So I thought I may be wrong at first after both teams traded field goals on their opening drives, and then Carolina marched 81 yards down the field for this TD by RB Chuba Hubbard:
Chuuuuba runs it in for the first touchdown of the game!
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/dldLdzfJIp
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) January 2, 2022
Ultimately I was right in the end, and a punt and FG fest ensued afterward until Kamara’s 4th quarter score – and the game was about as useful for fantasy as its 18-10 final would indicate. Did you squeeze enough out of Kamara to put you ahead in your championship matchup?
Carolina Panthers
Quarterbacks
Sam Darnold: 17/26, 132 yards, INT | 2 carries, 7 yards, Fumble (Lost)
If you are still playing in a competitive matchup this week, it’s likely that Panthers’ QB Sam Darnold is nowhere near your roster. Darnold was sacked 7 times on Sunday by a vicious New Orleans defense and could only muster 178 yards of total offense. Darnold hasn’t thrown a TD pass since Week 6 and hasn’t accounted for two or more TDs in a game since Week 4. The more intriguing story here was the notable absence of QB Cam Newton. He did take one carry for five yards early in the second quarter but was otherwise left on the bench while Darnold struggled. Could this be the end of Newton in the NFL?
Running Backs
Chuba Hubbard: 15 carries, 55 yards, TD | 4 targets, 3 receptions, 13 yards
Ameer Abdullah: 6 carries, 21 yards
Considering how tough the Saints’ defense has been against opposing fantasy RBs lately, RB Chuba Hubbard‘s performance on Sunday was honestly pretty impressive. The Saints hadn’t allowed a rushing TD since all the way back in Week 13 against the Cowboys until Hubbard’s 21-yard score shown above. Otherwise, the Panthers’ running game was mostly ineffective throughout the afternoon. The absence of RB Christian McCaffrey gave Hubbard a chance to show what he’s got for most of this season, and Hubbard wasn’t able to do a whole lot with it.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
D.J. Moore: 8 targets, 3 receptions, 29 yards
Robby Anderson: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 10 yards
Terrace Marshall, Jr.: 2 targets, 2 reception, 16 yards
Ian Thomas: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 33 yards
With Darnold struggling to move the ball through the air, it was an abysmal day for the Panthers’ pass-catching unit. TE Ian Thomas led the team in receiving yards for the first time in his career with a whopping 33. We saw WR D.J. Moore go from borderline WR1 at the beginning of the year to barely worthy of starting by the end. To be fair, Moore has been given an ample amount of targets throughout the season, but with all of the poor QB play he’s had to deal with, it isn’t surprising to see him turn in a stat line similar to this one. Similar to what I said about Darnold, hopefully, this was a case where you had better options available for your starting lineup.
New Orleans Saints
Quarterback
Taysom Hill: 17/28, 222 yards, TD | 12 carries, 45 yards
Saints’ QB Taysom Hill wasn’t amazing in his return from a one-week stay on the Covid/exempt list on Sunday, but he did enough to get the Saints a win, and he provided at least a safe floor for his fantasy managers. Hill’s 45 rushing yards were good enough to lead the team, and his 4th quarter passing TD to RB Alvin Kamara at least boosted his fantasy production a respectable amount. Hill found most of his success through the air, connecting early with WR Marquez Callaway – and Hill’s passing totals could have been slightly higher if not for a handful of drops by Callaway on the afternoon. All in all, Hill has done a respectable job this season filling in for the injured QB Jameis Winston, but ultimately his inconsistency and the Saints’ offensive injuries have dampened his fantasy output.
Running Backs
Alvin Kamara: 13 carries, 32 yards | 6 targets, 5 receptions, 68 yards, TD
It’s been a tough season for Saints’ star RB Alvin Kamara. After missing several games with a knee injury, Kamara has drawn much of the opposing teams’ defensive attention due to a staggering lack of weapons in the Saints’ offense this season. He was without fellow RB Mark Ingram on Sunday – in fact, other Saints’ RBs to get rushing touches on Sunday (FB Adam Prentice, RB Tony Jones, Jr., RB Ty Montgomery) combined for 3 carries for -4 yards. Yet even being a focal point for opposing defenses, Kamara produced in the receiving game – including this 12-yard, 4th quarter receiving TD to seal the game:
🗣🗣 ALVIN KAMARAAAA TOUCHDOWNNNN 😤😤
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/Wgp1RS9SCt
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) January 2, 2022
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Marquez Callaway: 10 targets, 6 receptions, 97 yards
Lil’Jordan Humphrey: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 26 yards
Deonte Harris: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 23 yards
If we saw anything on Sunday, it was that WR Marquez Callaway has earned the trust of Taysom Hill in the passing game. Callaway’s 10 targets were a season-high and as mentioned before, he could have had an even bigger game if not for a handful of uncharacteristic drops throughout the afternoon. This has been a far below-average pass-catching unit throughout the season, and even Callaway as the bright spot is looking to finish the season as a mid-WR4 at best. That being said, Callaway has shown huge strides this season – even if he hasn’t produced as expected coming into the season as the Saints’ WR1.
— Corey Saucier (@Deputy_Commish on Twitter, u/Lights_Kamara_Action on Reddit)