The Worksheet, a comprehensive fantasy football preview by Rich Hribar, breaks down everything you need to know about the Week 9 matchup between the Panthers and Saints.
Find a breakdown of every Week 9 NFL game in our Worksheet Hub.
| New Orleans | Rank | @ | Carolina | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -7.0 | Spread | 7.0 | ||
| 26.0 | Implied Total | 19.0 | ||
| 23.1 | 17 | Points/Gm | 15.5 | 29 |
| 25.8 | 25 | Points All./Gm | 33.9 | 32 |
| 61.8 | 18 | Plays/Gm | 58.0 | 27 |
| 64.5 | 26 | Opp. Plays/Gm | 65.1 | 29 |
| 5.2 | 22 | Off. Yards/Play | 4.9 | 26 |
| 6.1 | 32 | Def. Yards/Play | 6 | 27 |
| 43.72% | 18 | Rush% | 39.66% | 26 |
| 56.28% | 15 | Pass% | 60.34% | 7 |
| 42.44% | 15 | Opp. Rush % | 52.59% | 32 |
| 57.56% | 18 | Opp. Pass % | 47.41% | 1 |
- Carolina has scored on a league-low 25.6% of their possessions.
- The Saints have averaged 1.27 points per drive over their past six games, 30th in the NFL.
- New Orleans scored a touchdown on 10.4% of their drives in October, 31st in the league.
- The Saints converted a league-worst 26.8% (15-of-56) of their third downs in October after a 53.2% (25-of-47) rate in September (2nd).
- The Panthers have been outscored by 147 points, the most through eight games in franchise history.
- Only two teams have had a worse point differential through eight games in the 2000s: the 2019 Dolphins (-153 points) and the 2013 Jaguars (-178).
Trust = spike production for that player
Quarterback
Derek Carr: We will enter the week expecting Carr to return after missing the past three games with an oblique injury.
While we will use some caution with Carr returning from a long layoff, he gets the gift of the Carolina defense in his first game back.
If you are chasing a streamer or plugging him back into 2QB lineups, this is as good as it gets for fantasy quarterbacks.
The Panthers are dead last in points allowed per pass attempt (0.590) and touchdown rate (7.2%) while allowing a 71.6% completion rate (30th) and 7.9 yards per pass attempt (27th).
Over the past month, Carolina has allowed QB1 scoring weeks to Caleb Williams (23.6 points), Marcus Mariota (19.6 points), and Bo Nix (29.8).
Even if using some caution with Carr here after his injury, he is a tough sit where you have him.
The Saints got Ceasar Ruiz back last weekend to help out upfront.
Carolina is dead last in pressure rate (22.2%).
Carolina has allowed a 78.2% completion rate (31st) and 8.6 yards per attempt (31st) when they have not pressured the opposing passer.
When Carr has not been pressured this season, he has completed a league-high 80.2% of his passes for 8.0 Y/A (10th).
When these teams played back in Week 1, Carr was 19-of-23 (82.6%) for 8.7 Y/A with 3 touchdowns.
Panthers QB: Carolina has not announced a starter yet this week with Andy Dalton still dealing with an injured thumb after missing last week.
Filling in for Dalton last week, Bryce Young was 24-of-37 (64.9%) for 224 yards in Denver, throwing 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.
He closed the week as QB22 (13.6 points).
As sad as this is to type, that was the fourth-highest-scoring fantasy game for Young’s career.
We are not using either Young or Dalton as more than a QB2 out of necessity, but this New Orleans defense has taken a step back over the past month due to all of their injuries.
Over the past four weeks, the Saints have allowed 8.3 yards per attempt (27th) with a 4.5% touchdown rate (20th).
Young has made three starts against New Orleans in his career, closing those games consistently as QB25 (13.5 points), QB25 (7.5 points), and QB25 (9.6 points).
Running Back
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Learn MoreMore Week 9 Fantasy Breakdowns From The Worksheet:
| Matchup | Time |
|---|---|
| Texans @ Jets -- FREE | Thursday Night Football |
| Cowboys @ Falcons | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Dolphins @ Bills | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Raiders @ Bengals | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Chargers @ Browns | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Patriots @ Titans | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Commanders @ Giants | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Saints @ Panthers | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Broncos @ Ravens | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Jaguars @ Eagles | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Bears @ Cardinals | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Lions @ Packers | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Rams @ Seahawks | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Colts @ Vikings | Sunday Night Football |
| Bucs @ Chiefs -- FREE | Monday Night Football |