Carolina Panthers DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Carolina Panthers rookie wide receiver Xavier Legette (hip, wrist) is officially active on Sunday as the team takes on the division-rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 17. Legette did not play in last Sunday night's loss to the Dallas Cowboys, but he made good progress during the week in practice and will return to the field this weekend. The 23-year-old will be a poor flex option for fantasy managers with everything on the line in Week 17 in Carolina's low-volume passing attack. Veteran Adam Thielen should continue to command most of quarterback Bryce Young's targets, and he'll be fighting for snaps alongside fellow rookie Jalen Coker and David Moore. The 32nd overall pick in this year's draft does have four touchdowns in his first NFL season, but he hasn't scored since Nov. 3 and has gone over 60 receiving yards just once in his 14 games played.

With Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard (calf, knee) out for the final two games of the season, Raheem Blackshear will make the start in the backfield in Week 17 on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders. ESPN's David Newton also suspects that Mike Boone, who was added to the 53-man active roster from the practice squad, will get a fair share of carries also. The Panthers are expected to give both Blackshear and Boone some touches as they play out the string in 2024. Neither back will be all that attractive for fantasy managers trying to win a championship in the final couple of weeks, but Blackshear should be the preferred flex dart throw in DFS contests in a plus matchup. The 26-year-old excelled as a pass-catcher out of the backfield in college and should have slightly more upside in PPR leagues, but he's averaged just 3.4 yards a carry on 40 rushing attempts in his three NFL seasons.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette (hip, wrist), is expected to play Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, according to NFL Network. The rookie did not play last week, but should give it a go against the Bucs. For fantasy purposes, Legette has been difficult to rely upon in recent weeks, posting just four catches in his past two games and finishing outside the top 30 receivers five games in a row. The Tampa defense is a nice matchup for receivers, but Legette should likely be reserved for deeper leagues only.

Carolina Panthers kicker Eddy Pineiro hasn't been much of a fantasy option over the last few weeks. In fact, Pineiro has only two field goal attempts over his last three games. Last week, Pineiro connected on 3-of-4 extra point attempts and his lone field goal in the win over the Arizona Cardinals. Now, Pineiro heads into a matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 17. A team he made three field goals against in Week 13. The 29-year-old also missed two field goals during that game. Pineiro might be active this weekend, but he's far from a lock in terms of a solid fantasy kicker.

Carolina Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble should not be started in an formats in Week 17 when he faces the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tremble logged two limited practice sessions during the week due to shoulder and back injuries but is no longer listed on the injury report. Over his past three games, Tremble has seen just 2.3 targets per game while splitting opportunities with rookie Ja'Tavion Sanders. Over this three-game stretch he has tallied just 16.7 yards per game. Over his past five games, Tremble has surpassed 40+ receiving yards just once. Given his lack of consistent production, fantasy managers should keep him out of all lineups despite facing a weak Tampa Bay secondary that has allowed the sixth-most PPR points to opposing tight ends this season.