Falcons 15, Panthers 25 (Panthers covered +2.5, U42.5)

Postgame: After a thrilling back-and-forth OT game just two weeks ago in which these two teams combined for the most points scored in any quarter of the NFL season thus far, their Thursday night game was truly disappointing for nearly everyone with fantasy shares.  Outside of one player on each side of the ball, any player that fantasy GMs started in this game was an absolute bust.  The weather played a minor role in the game being such a snoozer, but it was not nearly as bad as originally anticipated. Somehow these two teams still find themselves in the hunt for the division title.  The Falcons (4-5) and Panthers (3-7) only trail the Buccaneers who are leading the way at 4-5, with the Saints sitting at 3-6.  There are a bundle of crucial divisional matchups coming over the second half of the season between these four squads, but this feels like a year where another team that’s below .500 will win a division and host a playoff game. 

Pregame: Back in Week 8, these two teams met for one of the most surprising games so far this season, with the Falcons winning a back-and-forth OT game over the Panthers 37-34.  The two teams combined to score on seven-of-eight of the final drives in regulation, including a massive 62-yard bomb to D.J. Moore with 23 seconds remaining. There is an expectation for this game to have some rain, with Tropical Storm Nicole rolling in towards the Carolinas.  The Falcons love to run the ball and are historically one of the most run-heavy teams and matchup against a bottom-three rushing defense.  On the other side of the ball, the Panthers offense is seeking any sort of identity.  Last week, P.J. Walker struggled in an embarrassing manner and was yanked for Baker Mayfield, but Walker has been renamed the starter for this matchup. The Panthers also get Chuba Hubbard back this week, making their backfield even messier.  This game is very likely not going to turn into a shootout like their first matchup, producing only a couple of startable fantasy options as a result.

Falcons

QB

Marcus Mariota

Postgame:  Mariota was able to reward fantasy GMs that were brave enough to start him on Thursday night.  He finished this contest with 19-of-30 completions for 186 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.  He added 43 yards on the ground on three attempts, which substantially helped his line, finishing with 18.7 fantasy points.  It was a decent outcome for Mariota, unlike what Walker did on the other side of the ball, but the lack of passing yards left much to be desired.  Mariota looked absolutely lost in the pocket and was running for his life more often than not, thanks to terrible blocking up front.  He is slowly drifting out of fantasy relevance in standard leagues, making him a viable option only in super-flex formats. 

Pregame: Mariota absolutely balled out in their Week 8 matchup, setting a season-high in yards and touchdowns, while tying his season-high in completions.  In the OT thriller, Mariota completed 20-of-28 attempts for 253 yards, including three touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. He also added 43 yards on six rushes, finishing the week as the overall QB6. So obviously fantasy GMs were drooling when they saw this matchup coming once again, but sandwiched between the pair of Panthers games is a gross outing against the Chargers.  He finished that game with 12 completions on 23 attempts, finishing with 129 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions. Mariota’s rushing upside allows him to have a comfortable scoring floor, averaging 6.7 attempts per game.  His range of potential fantasy outcomes is potentially the largest in the NFL at the position, but fantasy GMs should definitely consider rolling the dice with Mariota. 

RB

Cordarrelle Patterson & Tyler Allgeier

Postgame: After a week where both Patterson and Allgeier put together strong performances for their fantasy GMs, this week was a complete 180 on that.  The two combined, yes combined, for 6.3 fantasy points in PPR leagues.  Even if one of the two had that number alone, it would have still been brutal.  Patterson finished with 18 yards on five attempts, catching his only target for two yards, while Allgeier had eight rushes for 20 yards.  Per Pro Football Reference, Allgeier had the fewest yards since 1995 for a player that had at least three receptions in a game, finishing with negative 17 yards on three catches. Both Caleb Huntley and Avery Williams had better nights than the two “starters”. Huntley finished with 32 yards on five rushes, while Williams scampered for 25 yards on four attempts.  This is a backfield that fantasy GMs will need to avoid at all costs for the next few weeks, but the time is now to acquire Patterson for as cheap as possible, in the hopes that he becomes something more relevant for fantasy playoffs in a workhorse role. 

Pregame: These two backs split the workload last week against the Chargers terrible rushing defense, but it was Patterson who had the crucial goal-line work, scoring twice. In his first game back, Patterson only saw 39% of snaps but still handled 13 rush attempts, hauling in his one target. In their first matchup, Allgeier had a RB13 finish, rushing for 39 yards on 14 attempts, alongside 46 yards through the air on three receptions, scoring once. Last week, Allgeier rattled off a 44 yard rush, totaling 99 yards on only 10 attempts. Patterson is a starting option in all formats, while Allgeier is also worth a look since he has earned a permanent role on this offense with his great play during Patterson’s absence. 

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