The Week 4 matchup between the Carolina Panthers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers features two clubs that don’t have much of a running game. We’ve got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.
Fantasy football projections, Week 4: Panthers-Buccaneers featuring Cam Newton, Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson
We break down the Week 4 matchup between the Carolina Panthers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Carolina Panthers
The Panthers look like they will be duking it out with the Atlanta Falcons for the NFC South division title when all is said and done at the end of the season. It certainly help that New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees was missing in action last week. His Panthers counterpart Cam Newton performed well in topping Brees’ Saints, throwing for 315 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for a score. It appears not having a bona-fide No. 1 receiver in the passing game isn’t going to kill Cam’s value going forward. That’ll make his fantasy owners smile, no doubt.
That said, if there is one reliable pass catcher on the team, tight end Greg Olsen is that guy. Olsen finally showed up on the scoreboard last week for the first time this season and he did it in a big way. The veteran caught eight passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns. Olsen should build on the momentum he has now created this week against the Buccaneers.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Although the Bucs appear to be in for another long season, wide receiver Mike Evans seems to be in for another good one. He finally saw consistent action last week and capitalized to the tune of seven catches and 101 receiving yards. He was targeted a whopping 17 times against the Houston Texans. That amount of looks would make anybody a fantasy stud. Add to that Evans’ size and talent, and starting him against the Panthers is a no-brainer even if their secondary unit is proving to be pretty good.
Starting opposite Evans will be teammate Vincent Jackson. It’s obvious that Evans has passed Jackson on the team’s depth chart on a permanent basis. Jackson has just nine catches on the season for 145 yards and a touchdown. Through three games that’s not enough to warrant starting him in 10-team leagues, but given that he is a former pro bowler, there’s still a chance Jackson could break out this week. The Buccaneers can only hope so if the team plans to contend for a playoff spot come December.
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SB Nation presents: Who to start and sit on your fantasy team in Week 4
