Panthers @ Cardinals
Final Score: Cardinals 27, Panthers 22
Writer: Geoff Ulrich (@thefantasygrind on X/Twitter)
This was a very weird game. The Cardinals scored a touchdown in the opening moments before fans had even sat down. They extended their lead quickly, and the Panthers barely had the ball at all in the first two to three quarters. Then the Cards got too relaxed in the fourth quarter, allowed a couple of quick scores, and the Panthers managed to recover an onside kick with 90 seconds left, which gave them a chance to win.
Despite it being close in the end, this game was all Arizona, although many of the Panthers’ big names had solid fantasy days due mainly to garbage time points (they all count the same for fantasy). We’ll discuss what it means below.
Three Up
- Tetairoa McMillan — Expected him to struggle with Arizona’s elite corners, but he didn’t
- Trey McBride — The clear-cut No. 1 option, but needs to find a way to score TDs
- Ja’Tavion Sanders — Picking up steam as the number two option
Two Down
- Marvin Harrison Jr. — I said there were warning signs last week. McBride is the primary target
- Bryce Young – Great stats, sure. But that was only after he gave the game away in the first half.
Carolina Panthers
Quarterback
Bryce Young: 33/55, 328 yards, 3 TD, INT, Fumble | 2 carries, 2 yards
Great fantasy numbers by Bryce Young, but overall, a terrible game. He started by losing a fumble he never should have lost while running behind the line of scrimmage, which led to a quick TD for Arizona. Next up, he threw an interception by trying to force it to McMillan down the middle, which led to more points.
The game was 20-3 at halftime, and he had a few yards and barely any fantasy points. What happened after that was more luck than anything. James Conner looked like he iced the game with a touchdown on the opening drive in the third quarter, but then Arizona got bored and started allowing Young more time. He managed to work the middle of the field finally, with short gains to Renfrow and Sanders that led to two scores to Renfrow. It wasn’t anything pretty, but it worked.
But after the onside kick was recovered and Arizona got its head back in the game, he was shut down quickly again by the Arizona defense, who fittingly sacked him easily on the final play of the game.
I mentioned this last week, but I do think the Arizona defense is very good, even though they made this game way closer than it should have been, so they’re not a team I would regularly start a weaker QB like Young against, even though it worked here.
Running Back
Chuba Hubbard: 10 carries, 38 yards | 6 targets, 5 receptions, 39 yards, TD
Hubbard was likely the brightest spot on this offense. He ran hard again, even though the Cardinals did a good job of containing the run. However, he’s shown improved ball skills as a receiver in both games this season and landed another receiving TD in this game. He’s starting to improvise a bit with Young when he scrambles much like, say, Jaylen Warren does, and it was noticeable on the touchdown catch as he waited for Young to escape the pocket, then slipped outside of coverage and made himself wide open once Young got settled.
In the past, I’d fear for Hubbard in game flow situations like this, but this season, he’s a player I’d view as game flow proof, and he ran 44 routes in this game. Definitely someone to trade for if someone has fears about him being a Panther.
Rico Dowdle: 6 carries, 9 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 10 yards
I thought Dowdle might push for this backfield to become a timeshare at the beginning of the season, but based on what I’ve seen to date, I would no longer have those worries. He looks like a running back who cashed in a big cheque this offseason and is unworried about getting a bigger role.
The Panthers chose to use Hubbard more in a passing role in this game, which really diminishes his value.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Tetairoa McMillan: 10 targets, 6 receptions, 100 yards
A true #1 receiver is how I’d describe Tet McMillan. He went up against a tough secondary in this game and came out well. Even in the first half, when the Panthers’ offense was really struggling and before Will Johnson got banged up, he managed a beautiful 40-yard catch and run where he got out in front of two defensive backs and then outsprinted another to get more open field.
It wasn’t so much the speed he showcased as the route he ran to have the right angle for a big gain, which was really nice to see. He’ll need more of that because Young’s arm makes it hard to connect on sideline throws, and the two did get shut down at times, including a ball intended for McMillan that got picked off.
Hunter Renfrow: 9 targets, 7 receptions, 48 yards, 2 TDs
Renfrow played on 69 snaps, which was the second most of any Panther receiver. He doesn’t have the same burst he used to, but he is still an effective slot target and was much better in his connection with Young than he was in Week 1.
Part of that is him shaking off the rust, and part of that is just a Cardinals defense that funnels action towards the middle of the field. Not too much to add here as he was just peppered with short targets in a furious comeback scenario, and two targets came in the end zone. Not someone I’d chase, but should be viewed as an effective PPR bye week fill-in.
Ja’Tavion Sanders: 9 targets, 7 receptions, 54 yards
Sanders is the more interesting name among the Panthers’ secondary targets. He saw a career high nine targets, played on 56 snaps, and ran 38 routes. Sanders has good after-the-catch ability, even if it was never shown in this game. His routes were mostly towards the middle of the field, where he rotated targets with Renfrow, and every single one of his catches was 7-9 yards and of the same variety.
Still, we’ve seen Sanders get loose for big gains in the open field in the past, and in future weeks, when the Panthers aren’t just in a hurry-up offense all game, we could see more set plays for him. A bit of a breakthrough performance for him, as he was relied upon as one of the core group of targets for Young.
Brycen Tremayne: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 48 yards
Arizona Cardinals
Quarterback
Kyler Murray: 17-25, 220 yards | 7 carries, 32 yards
Murray really wasn’t called on to do too much in this game, but he did look solid and more polished than last week. He had one nice run for 30 yards where he dodged multiple D-Linemen in the backfield and then headed upfield and outran half the defense for 30 yards. He didn’t have a whole lot to do against this defense, but led a couple of scoring drives and used Trey McBride well once again.
His best throw was the TD pass to Michael Wilson, who continues to be somewhat underused in this offense. With the Cardinals spread wide down near the 20, Murray bought some time, turned upfield, and threw a great ball to where only Wilson could grab it.
I expect the Cardinals will be more aggressive vs better opponents, and bigger days for Murray will be ahead.
Running Back
James Conner: 11 carries, 34 yards TD | 1 rec, 18 yards, TD
Much the same as last week for Conner. He was inefficient, running for only 3.4 yards per carry, but saved his day by falling into the end zone. Conner played just 30 snaps to Benson’s 25, so that gap is starting to close a bit.
I do think when games are tight or the Cardinals are playing from behind, we’ll see more Conner due to his pass protection ability and reliability, but for now, you have to be a little wary as a fantasy manager. If you don’t have Benson to handcuff Conner, moving on from the veteran now isn’t a bad idea.
Trey Benson: 3 carries, 14 yards | 6 targets, 4 rec, 30 yards
Benson only took three carries in this game, which was a little strange given the score, but the new wrinkle was that he was the primary passing back and produced nicely in that role. He took a couple of receptions for nice gains and was used in this role right from the get-go on the beginning drive.
Benson’s best run was an 11-yard run on third down, and it was the Cardinals’ longest of the day from their running backs. With this kind of performance and the big run he had from Week 1, you have to think you’ll only keep seeing more opportunities for him down the road. He’s a lower-end flex option going forward as well.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Marvin Harrison: 5 targets, 2 rec, 27 yards
I’ll echo what I said about Harrison Jr. last week, which was that I don’t really love how he’s used in this offense. If you take away one 45-yard pass that he came down with on the sidelines last week, Harrison would have under 60 yards receiving on the season.
This week was a tougher matchup, but to be honest, a lot of his incompletions came when he was being guarded by Mike Jackson and not Jaycee Horn, so it’s tough for me to even say it was a matchup issue. He did draw one big pass interference call, which is worth mentioning because that would have spruced his stat line up a bit, but for the most part, he was shut down.
Not much else to say here that I didn’t say last week. I still think Harrison is going to struggle in tough matchups, but will have those spike weeks where Murray will have to drop back 35+ times and he’ll find a big play or two. I thought he was the most overvalued player in the top 30 of redraft rankings this season, and I still believe that.
Trey McBride: 7 target, 6 rec, 78 yards
Nothing has changed for McBride this week either. He’s the clear-cut number one option in this offense. He’s led the Cardinals in targets two weeks running and is averaging eight targets a game, despite the Cardinals facing two weaker opponents and never trailing this season.
McBride didn’t do anything super special in this game, other than be his consistent self and get open a lot for Murray. He did have another one of his patented big catches up the middle, and was once again Murray’s go-to guy when he needed a big play. Few tight ends out there possess the ability to separate and run after the catch like him, and he again proved his uniqueness as a receiver justifies the Cardinals giving him #1 WR targeting. When the Cardinals really need to turn to the passing game, he’ll explode.
No reason not to float trade offers for him if the current manager is pissed about the lack of TDs.
Michael Wilson: 2 targets, 1 rec, 11 yards, TD
Elijah Higgins: 3 targets, 2 rec, 45 yards
Greg Dortch: 1 target, 1 rec, 11 yards