Carolina Panthers DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Carolina Panthers running back Raheem Blackshear earned lead running back duties in Week 17 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with Chuba Hubbard (calf, knee) landing on the injured reserve. Blackshear finished with four carries for 47 yards in Sunday's 44-38 overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons. The Panthers activated Miles Sanders (ankle) off the injured reserve ahead of Sunday's game, and Blackshear took a clear backseat to Sanders in this one. In this matchup, he was out-touched by Sanders 17 to four. Although he only had four carries, he turned that into 47 total yards to provide some value for fantasy managers. Blackshear finishes the 2024 season with 15 carries for 80 yards. He will not be a recommended fantasy option for managers in 2025.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young went 25-for-34 with 251 yards and three scores during their overtime victory over the Atlanta Falcons. He added 24 yards and two touchdowns on five rushing attempts. This was his best performance of his young NFL career. After having a quiet first quarter, Young was able to punch in a five-yard score with his legs and threw a 33-yard TD pass to Miles Sanders in the second frame. In the third quarter, he found tight end Tommy Tremble and wide receiver David Moore on a 21-yard and nine-yard TD pass respectively. Then in the fourth quarter, Young tallied his second rushing score of the afternoon, this time from ten yards out. The former first-overall pick would then lead the Panthers to a game-winning drive in overtime which was capped off by a Miles Sanders TD run. Despite his struggles last season and at the start of this season, Young has begun to turn the corner. During Weeks 12 through 17, Young averaged a solid 22.0 PPR points per game and will carry some solid momentum into the offseason.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette (hip, wrist) is officially active for Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Atlanta Falcons. The rookie had been listed as questionable after finishing last week with back-to-back limited practices. Legette has appeared in 15 contests this season, catching 46 passes for 467 yards and four touchdowns. He typically operates as the No. 2 receiver behind Adam Thielen, and last week, he led the team with nine targets. He should remain heavily involved on Sunday afternoon, but the Panthers' subpar offensive production leaves the rookie pass-catcher as a low-end WR3/FLEX option, at best.

Carolina Panthers running back Miles Sanders (ankle) is officially active for Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Atlanta Falcons. He had been listed as questionable but was widely expected to play after being activated from injured reserve on Saturday. The 27-year-old will lead Carolina's backfield with Chuba Hubbard (calf, knee) on injured reserve. Sanders, who totaled 237 yards and one touchdown through 10 games earlier this season, will take over the backfield from Raheem Blackshear. He ranks as a mid-to-low RB3 in fantasy football against the Falcons.

Tennessee Titans kicker Matthew Wright is not a household name in fantasy football, but he should generate some buzz on the waiver wire in deep leagues. Wright is replacing Nick Folk (abdomen) for the second week in a row, and as he takes on the Houston Texans this Sunday, he'll look to build on last week's solid stat line that included one extra point and a 2-for-2 success rate on field goals. The 28-year-old kicker has been dependable in stints with the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs this year, helping him rank as a top-18 fantasy kicker for the final week of the regular season. Wright warrants consideration among fantasy managers seeking a last-minute fill-in.