The Week 9 matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the Carolina Panthers features a pair of teams that play two very different styles. We’ve got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.
Fantasy football projections, Week 9: Packers-Panthers featuring Aaron Rodgers, Randall Cobb and Greg Olsen
We break down the Week 9 matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the Carolina Panthers.
Green Bay Packers
Last week represented a big-time litmus test for the Packers, who traveled to Denver and promptly got served with a loss by the Broncos. It was a surprising result. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers just couldn’t get anything going. Unfortunately for his fantasy owners, A-Rod faces his second straight matchup against a formidable defense in Carolina this week. The Panthers shut down Andrew Luck last week. On the positive side, Rodgers is still among the league’s elite at the quarterback position and a game against the Panthers is a good opportunity to redeem himself.
Wide receiver Randall Cobb could also use a bit of redemption. His early-season struggles were attributed to a shoulder injury suffered in the preseason. Going into Week 9, however, the fact is he just hasn’t been good enough. Cobb hasn’t scored a touchdown or surpassed 44 receiving yards since Week 3. The Broncos’ Chris Harris proved to be a tough matchup for Cobb last week, and the Panthers’ Josh Norman isn’t exactly going to make life easier for the Packers’ go-to receiver this week.
Carolina Panthers
When will the Panthers finally lose a game? It could be this week against the Packers, but don’t tell that to quarterback Cam Newton. Newton’s quarterback rating is definitely subpar this year, but that fortunately doesn’t count for anything in the fantasy world. He managed to rush for 41 yards against the Indianapolis Colts last week on 10 carries and coupled that with 248 passing yards and two touchdowns. The Packers have allowed at least 50 rushing yards to quarterbacks twice this season, so both Newton’s arm and his legs will be an asset to fantasy owners yet again this time around.
So will tight end Greg Olsen. Olsen caught six passes for 79 yards and his fourth touchdown of the season last week against the Colts. Ted Ginn is having trouble with securing targets as he showed last week, which means Olsen is really the only reliable target Cam Newton can trust. The Packers don’t mind giving up points to tight ends and Olsen will likely find his way to lots of fantasy points just based on the sheer number of targets he’s likely to see on Sunday.
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