Carolina Panthers DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton completed 26-of-38 passes for 221 yards in Sunday's 38-20 loss to their division-rival Atlanta Falcons. He threw two touchdowns and two interceptions and rushed three times for 21 yards. It was another underwhelming performance for the Red Rifle, who has thrown at least one pick in his last three outings, leading Carolina to its third-straight loss. The more of a sample we see from him, the more that his 300-yard, three-touchdown performance in Week 3 looks like the anomaly. He'll have a chance to turn it around in a solid Week 7 road matchup against the Washington Commanders. Still, one has to wonder how much longer it is until we see second-year QB Bryce Young regain control of the offense.

Carolina Panthers rookie running back Jonathon Brooks (knee) said he thinks there's a chance he could open his 21-day practice window next week. Brooks acknowledged there's really no reason to rush back as much as he wants to play. The running game is currently in good hands with Chuba Hubbard. At the very least, Brooks should push Miles Sanders down the RB depth chart in Carolina, and he could force a timeshare with Hubbard in the backfield later on this season once he's up to speed. The 21-year-old is now 11 months removed from a torn ACL, so the Panthers will surely ease him back in, and he won't be a lock to make his NFL debut in Week 7 against the Washington Commanders, even if he resumes practicing next week. For now, Brooks is worth stashing in the majority of fantasy formats after being the first RB taken in this year's draft in April.

The Carolina Panthers have ruled out tight end Tommy Tremble (concussion) from their Week 6 game on Sunday against the division-rival Atlanta Falcons. Tremble was unable to practice all week after getting knocked out in the Week 5 loss to the Chicago Bears. The 24-year-old will need to clear the league's concussion protocol next week in order to gain clearance to play in Week 7 against the Washington Commanders. Ian Thomas (calf) is questionable to come off the Injured Reserve this weekend, but if he does, he'll likely play second fiddle to rookie Ja'Tavion Sanders for the team's primary tight end pass-catching role. Sanders now has some deep-league TE2 streaming appeal with Tremble out. The 21-year-old rookie has caught eight of his 11 targets for 41 yards and no touchdowns in the first five games of his NFL career.

Carolina Panthers rookie wide receiver Xavier Legette (shoulder) does not carry an injury designation and is expected to play this weekend. Legette was battling a minor shoulder injury throughout the week but was able to log three consecutive full practice sessions suggesting the injury was not serious. The 23-year-old is coming off one of his worst games of the season as he caught only one pass for eight yards. However, in Weeks 3 and 4, the former first-round pick averaged four catches in each game with a season-high 66 yards in Week 5. Legette remains a low-end flex option on Sunday when he faces the Atlanta Falcons.

Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle has asserted himself as the workhorse running back over the past two weeks, most recently taking 65% of rushing attempts in Week 5's win. Although Dowdle should see a heavy workload in Week 6 against Detroit, the matchup is one of the toughest on paper. Detroit has allowed the seventh-least fantasy points per game to opposing running backs, likely making Dowdle a touchdown-dependent option this week. With that being said, there will likely be a lot of touchdowns in this game given that it has the highest projected point total of any game this week (52). Dowdle grades as a low-end RB2 option this week.