Carolina Panthers DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

As expected, Carolina Panthers rookie wide receiver Xavier Legette (toe) is active on Sunday and will play in Week 9 against the division-rival New Orleans Saints, who will be without both cornerbacks Marshon Lattimore (hamstring) and Kool-Aid McKinstry (hamstring). Legette was listed as questionable coming into the contest but was expected to play all along. With veteran Adam Thielen (hamstring) missing another game and Diontae Johnson now playing for the Baltimore Ravens, the 23-year-old Legette will operate as Carolina's clear WR1, giving him upside as a flex option for fantasy managers. The 32nd overall pick back in April out of South Carolina caught four of his seven targets for 34 yards and his third touchdown of the year in last week's loss to the Denver Broncos. In Week 1 against the Saints, Legette had a 4-35-0 line.

The Pittsburgh Steelers continue to monitor the trade market for wide receivers in hopes of upgrading their offense, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Pittsburgh tried to trade for Christian Kirk before he suffered a season-ending collarbone injury, and now the Steelers are pivoting to other receivers, including Adam Thielen and Mike Williams. It's unclear if the Steelers will be able to pull off a receiver addition before Tuesday's 4 p.m. trade deadline, but they're certainly working the phones in hopes of making a splash.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver David Moore saw his biggest performance of the season during last week's loss to the Denver Broncos. Moore hauled in four of his five targets for 39 yards, which are all season highs for the 29-year-old. After a few injuries and trades, Moore has become the WR3 in Carolina right now. That doesn't mean a lot given how bad the Panthers offense has been this season. However, it's worth noting that Moore played 82 percent of the snaps last week. He isn't a reliable fantasy option for Week 9, but could creep into the flex conversation with another decent performance this weekend.

Carolina Panthers running back Miles Sanders saw increased involvement in the offense during last week's loss to the Denver Broncos. Sanders only rushed the ball once for seven yards, but was extremely active through the air. The 27-year-old hauled in all seven of his targets for 38 yards which are both season highs for Sanders. The expectation is that Sanders is going to continue having a minimal role behind Chuba Hubbard in the backfield. That seven-catch performance was likely more of a fluke than anything else. Fantasy managers should consider Sanders a risky flex option for the Week 9 matchup against the New Orleans Saints.

Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks won't make his NFL debut on Sunday. The rookie has been ruled out for Week 9 against the New Orleans Saints. He'll have to wait at least one more week before getting back into a game for the first time since tearing his ACL at the University of Texas last year. Chuba Hubbard will continue to lead the Carolina backfield for the duration of Brooks' absence.