Carolina Panthers DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Carolina Panthers rookie tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders (neck) is officially active for Week 14 against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday despite being given a questionable tag on Friday's final injury report. Sanders suffered a scary neck injury in the Week 12 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and went to the hospital, but he thankfully avoided a serious injury. He was held out of last week's overtime loss to the division-rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers but is returning to face the Eagles this Sunday in a game in which the Panthers will likely have to throw the ball often. The 21-year-old will continue to share playing time with Tommy Tremble in Carolina, but he's at least worth a look as a TE2 sleeper in his return with six teams on bye in Week 14. Sanders scored his first touchdown of the year in Week 10 and had a season-high 87 receiving yards in Week 9.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver David Moore should be thought of as a desperation WR5 when the Panthers take on the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 14. The veteran receiver has commanded 19 targets during the past two weeks as second-year quarterback Bryce Young has shown dramatic improvement, but this week's matchup is best avoided. The Eagles rank third in air yards allowed, third in yards after catch, and are tied for sixth in sacks, and the Panthers are the biggest underdog of the weekend. Managers in playoff contention almost certainly will have stronger options elsewhere on their rosters.

Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle finished last week in RB1 range, and a similar outcome is possible on Monday night as Dallas takes on the Cincinnati Bengals. Dowdle has completely taken over the backfield and even with key offensive linemen out, has managed to produce. While Cincinnati's run defense is not quite as weak as their pass defense, it is still a favorable matchup in a game where many points are anticipated to be scored. Fresh off of his first career 100-yard rushing performance, Dowdle should be in lineups this week.

Kansas City Chiefs kicker Matthew Wright will face the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night in Week 14. In last week's win over the Las Vegas Raiders, Wright nailed four of his five field goal attempts and his only point-after attempt. The 28-year-old was added to the active roster after the Chiefs lost Spencer Shrader to an injury. Shrader was placed on injured reserve, joining fellow kicker Harrison Butker on that list. Butker is eligible to return in Week 15, giving Wright at least one more week as the team's active placekicker. Wright is ranked as the 18th-best kicker in our RotoBaller rankings this week, meaning he should not be started in most leagues. Fantasy managers can likely find better options than Wright this week.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen will look to stay hot as Carolina travels to the hostile Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday to take on the Philadelphia Eagles. For the veteran wideout, the matchup will test if Thielen can continue to be productive for fantasy managers in a tough matchup. Thielen recorded eight receptions for 99 yards and a touchdown in last Sunday's loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 34-year-old also had an incredible one-handed reception in overtime and a controversial circus catch that was wrongfully ruled not a touchdown. Still, the Philadelphia secondary offers major problems for Thielen and company, leading to RotoBaller's WR39 tag on the veteran this week.