Fantasy view of Panthers verses Minnesota

Carolina (0-1) at Minnesota (1-0)

When and Where: Sunday, September 17, 1 p.m. ET, Minneapolis, MN

Game-time Weather Report: Inside the Metrodome



Matchup Overview:

The Vikings are looking to validate their Monday win off a short workweek, while the Panthers are all of a sudden in a desperate spot after their no-show opener with the Falcons. Both teams will probably bring conservative offenses to the fore – the Vikings will play that way all year, while the Panthers get their hand forced by the Steve Smith injury.



Looking Glass:



Looking Better Than Usual:



Chester Taylor (RB, Min) – The new coaching staff has no problem giving him the rock on Monday night – hello, 34 touches – and the Panther rushing defense showed more than a few leaks against the Falcons last week (it’s also without star LB Dan Morgan this week). We’re not saying Taylor is going to match what Warrick Dunn and Jerious Norwood did in the opener, but from the opportunity alone, Taylor should finish with a bottom line fantasy owners can be happy with. With so many time-shares and split backfields around the league, it’s comforting to run with a full-option back when you can (so long as Taylor doesn’t wilt under the heavy workload).



Looking Neither Better Nor Worse Than Usual:



DeShaun Foster (RB, Car) – It’s funny to remember how Foster was such a big thing at UCLA, because he’s turning into a vanilla back in the pros. Consistency? We haven’t really seen it with Foster. Big plays? You always get the idea he’s leaving some on the table. Tough inside yards? The jury remains out on that one. He’ll probably get 15-20 touches here, anyway, and do something reasonable, but he’s not a must-start by any means against the respectable Viking front seven. The loss of OT Travelle Wharton for the season certainly doesn’t help Foster any and C Justin Hartwig is banged up as well. Mix it together and Foster looks like a respectable flex guy for this week, but not someone you want to be forced to use as a #2 back. At least we know with WR Steve Smith very iffy, they will try to get Foster as many touches as possible.



Looking Worse Than Usual:



Panther Defense (Def, Car) – Obviously these guys laid an egg in the opener, and playing on the road against a wily game manager like Brad Johnson is not how you pile up the defensive fantasy points. You should be able to find a better option for this week, even if you need to go digging in the free-agent bin.



Jake Delhomme (QB, Car) – Let’s accept the current reality – Muhsin Muhammad isn’t walking through that door, Ricky Proehl isn’t walking through that door, and Steve Smith (hamstring) probably isn’t walking through that door, either. We’ve been fans of Delhomme’s game for a while, but there’s only so much you can do with the pieces he’s working with right now (Keyshawn Johnson is no longer a dominant player, while Drew Carter and Keary Colbert are ideally #3 or #4 types). Unless Smith’s status is significantly upgraded between now and game-day (he didn’t practice Wednesday), Delhomme doesn’t look like a good fantasy play against an underrated Viking defense.



Troy Williamson (WR, Min) – He left some yards on the table Monday night, sure, but it’s not hard to see why this guy was the seventh overall pick in the 2005 draft. There’s major talent here and it’s developing more and more every day. And in case you missed it, Brad Johnson still throws a decent, and catchable, deep ball. Williamson is going to be a star in this league sooner or later, and while we wait for the full picture on that, he’ll probably give us a healthy share of big games this year. Anytime you can plug and play him as your #3 WR, you’re doing well, but you’re not doing as well as usual this week against the strong Panther corners this week.



Too Risky To Play:



Steve Smith (WR, Car) – If we see him practice Friday, maybe we can play ball here, but that’s not looking likely. Right now he’s a guy sitting out, resting the hamstrings, and it’s looking cloudy at best for Smith in Week Two. Taking a zero is a crippling thing in the fantasy game, so you probably need to see a lot of positive news before you can consider Smith as an option here – and again that’s unlikely to come.



Brad Johnson (QB, Car) – He’s one of the most underrated quarterbacks around, a cagey veteran who avoids mistakes and negative plays. And Johnson makes more downfield connections than you might think – ask the Redskins – and his accuracy hasn’t faded much over the years. That all said, the Vikings aren’t stupid – they don’t want to throw their 38-year-old quarterback to the wolves against the strong Panther front seven, and Carolina’s got a very deep set of corners (including two quality starters) as well. Add it all up and you should have a better option ready to roll for this week, though Johnson is normally a legitimate option in start-two leagues.



Travis Taylor (WR, Min) – He’s not the deep threat in the offense, he’s not the goal-line guy, and he’s not the checkdown. If Taylor is a friend of yours or a personal favorite and you want to roll with your homey, fine, go ahead. But it’s hard to go this deep with a play, especially given that the current Viking offense isn’t looking to throw 40 passes a week. The excellent Panther cornerbacks also present a problem for Taylor.



Marcus Robinson (WR, Min) – He’s always been a handy red-zone guy and he scored last week, so if you’re in a pinch at the final WR spot, Robinson is worth a toss of the dice. Just keep in mind his upside is limited here; the game could be a low-scoring one, and the Panther corners are very good. That’s why he’s here.



Reaches of the Week:



Keyshawn Johnson (WR, Car) – He hasn’t been an impact player for some time – he can’t get deep, hasn’t for years, and despite his height, he’s an ordinary guy in the red zone. However, the Panthers will need to rely on him as the #1 target with Steve Smith iffy again. There’s no guarantee that will amount to anything special; the Vikings don’t have a shutdown corner in the DeAngelo Hall class, but Antoine Winfield and Fred Smoot aren’t bad. But this team needs Keyshawn to step up and step up now, so he’s worth using if you need him, especially since he has a big height advantage over Winfield.



Drew Carter (WR, Car) – He’s a good bet to start for Smith this week, and while he needs to prove he’s more than just a deep threat, he’s shown signs of that in the preseason. If the Panthers can get him on Smoot, who Smith torched last year, Carter could be the gambling corner for a big play.



History Report:

These teams faced each other in Week Eight of 2005 at Carolina (38-13, Panthers).



Panthers: QB Jake Delhomme had a fine game against the Vikings last year in Week Eight at home, when he was 21/30 for 341 yards and 3 TD. Former Panther RB Stephen Davis had 17 carries and 2 TD, while WR Steve Smith was very active, with 11 reception for 201 yards and a TD. WR Keary Colbert (2/32) and TE Kris Mangum (1/1) caught those other TD passes in the lopsided win against Minnesota last season.



Vikings: QB Daunte Culpepper’s 2005 season ended late in the first quarter against the Panthers in Week Five. Back-up QB Brad Johnson was 13/28 for 162 yards, with 1 TD and 0 INTs. RB Mewelde Moore had 9 carries for 30 yards and 1 TD, and WR Marcus Robinson had 4 receptions for 77 yards and 1 TD in the losing cause.



Offensive Depth Charts:



Carolina Panthers

QB: Jake Delhomme

Backups: Chris Weinke

RB: DeShaun Foster

Backups: D Williams ®, N. Goings

GLB: DeShaun Foster

TDB: TBD

FB: Brad Hoover

WR1: Steve Smith (Inj)

WR2: Keyshawn Johnson

WR3: Keary Colbert

WR4: Drew Carter

TE1: Kris Mangum (Inj)

Backups: Michael Gaines

PK: John Kasay

Minnesota Vikings

QB: Brad Johnson

Backups: B Bollinger, Ts Jackson ®

RB: Chester Taylor

Backups: M Moore (Inj), Ciatrick Fason

GLB: Chester Taylor

TDB: Chester Taylor

FB: Tony Richardson

WR1: Troy Williamson

WR2: Travis Taylor

WR3: Marcus Robinson

WR4: Todd Pinkston/Billy McMullen

TE1: J Wiggins/Jim Kleinsasser

Backups: TBD

PK: Ryan Longwell




Team Stats:



Carolina




Offensive Stats:
Total
Defensive Stats:
Total

Rushing Yards per game
65
Rushing Yards per game
252

Passing Yards per game
150
Passing Yards per game
133

Rushing TDs scored
0
Rushing TDs scored
0

Passing TDs scored
0
Passing TDs scored
2

Minnesota




Offensive Stats:
Total
Defensive Stats:
Total

Rushing Yards per game
86
Rushing Yards per game
103

Passing Yards per game
223
Passing Yards per game
163

Rushing TDs scored
1
Rushing TDs scored
1

Passing TDs scored
1
Passing TDs scored
0




Lineup Updates:



WR Drew Carter is expected to start for the Panthers if Steve Smith is out.



Place Kicker Report: John Kasay has attempted a bonus-range field goal in eight of his last nine games. He has converted one or more field goal in eleven straight contests. During those eleven games, he has 20 total field goals made. In his last ten games indoors, Kasay has converted 22 of 24 field goals, six of which were from the bonus range. In those ten games, he posted three or more field goals six times. The missed field goal by Ryan Longwell in the season opener marked his fourth missed field goal in the last five games. We should note the Week One missed field goal was from beyond the 50 yard line. His 46-yard field goal last week against Washington was his first bonus-range conversion in his last seven games.



Game Prediction:

Vikings 20 Panthers 17

 

footballguys rocks eh?

 

Seriously, Paul, fucking cite where you get this shit. It's already questionable to post copy at places other than the one where it originated, but not even sourcing it is really out of line.