Atlanta Falcons vs. Carolina Panthers Fantasy Football Matchup Breakdown For Week 2

• Spread: Panthers -2.5
• O/U: 43.5
• Score Prediction (from the Fantasy Life NFL Betting Model):  ATL 22, CAR 21

Carolina Panthers Fantasy Preview

37 points and 478 total scrimmage yards at an insane 7.7 yards/play, yet I’m not interested in the Panthers’ offense whatsoever. Go figure. In today’s edition of “don’t obsess over the last shiny thing you saw”, Carolina’s breakout smells more like a fake-out to me.

The Panthers ran fewer than 5 plays/drive on an impossibly low 30.6% rushing success rate, while completing just over 60% of passes and committing 3 turnovers … all versus a seemingly terrible defense. Meanwhile, Atlanta’s front seven played great all game — six separate players forced multiple pressures Sunday.

Pass Game

I’d be remiss to ignore WR Jalen Coker’s (8-138-2) explosion on an elite 93 Utilization Score, but it was the style of use that really stood out to me. Erroneously labeled as a layup-dependent slot merchant, nothing could’ve been further from the truth in this one — Coker’s 14.0 air yards/target indicate the Panthers are significantly expanding his route tree.

With that, every action has an equal and opposite reaction, which could spell relative disaster for Tetairoa McMillan. I say relative because the former first-rounder still earned 8 targets and won’t be terrible — but there was an expectation of opportunity domination given where he went in drafts. If multiple WRs start splitting a pie considerably smaller (and way less delicious) than those at similar ADPs, everyone in that pass-catching room loses.

Run Game

Carolina’s backfield wound up being more consolidated than many expected when they both practiced in full leading up to the game. Much to the chagrin of Jonathon Brooks backers, Chuba Hubbard won the day on a decent balance of usage (73 UR, 26 routes, 100% goal-to-go snaps) and efficiency (6.7 yards/touch, +0.55 fantasy points/snap). His ceiling’s going to be capped as competition eventually stiffens, but Hubbard remains a start in any standard format. 

As far as Brooks goes, sorry to say that he borders on droppable, especially if he keeps failing to out-touch AJ Dillon.

• Start: Jalen Coker (WR29), Tetairoa McMillan (WR17), Chuba Hubbard (RB19)
• Sit: Bryce Young (QB22)

Atlanta Falcons Fantasy Preview

One game into the season and already the Falcons are beyond desperate for an answer under center. Atlanta’s Week 1 starting QB job wound up falling to third-stringer Cooper Rush when an oblique injury knocked intended starter Tua Tagovailoa out of the running. Yikes.

Things unsurprisingly went exactly as expected  — Rush posted league-worst marks in EPA/attempt (-0.51) and yards/attempt (3.5). For reference of how unimaginably bad his play was, we’re one week into the season, and that would already rank in the bottom-7 for each across over 500 games last year with +20 pass attempts.

Run Game

Obviously, entire offenses flow through the QB, so it’s almost impossible to get any teammates home in fantasy with so little production to go around. Of course I say almost, because you could have Bijan Robinson on your team to soak 29 total touches, including a patently insane 52.6% team target share.

Pass Game

All reports indicate another week of the Cooper Rush experiment, and something’s truly gotta give. The Panthers just allowed the most yards of any team in Week 1, while the Falcons gained among the fewest. With a minuscule average target depth of only 3.5 yards, it’s no shock that only one ATL pass traveled over 20 yards in the air … and that was in a negative game script. 

Hard to trust anyone outside of Bijan on the dirty birdies. Our FL Game Model insists I’m overreacting, though I’d say my elevated level of terror is fully justified. If forced, I guess Drake London or Kyle Pitts could theoretically score … just understand the floor’s literally zero with Rush under center.

Easy come, easy go. 

• Start: Bijan Robinson (RB2)
• Sit: Kyle Pitts (TE16), Jahan Dotson (WR92)
• Sleeper: Drake London (WR19)

Next Week’s Bold Headlines, Today

• Somebody call 911, there’s been a murder … this Falcons team stinks.
• Two weeks in and the only team to score +34 points in both games is … the Carolina Panthers. What a game, what a world.