The fantasy football week had its first game on Thursday night, as the Carolina Panthers took down the winless Buccaneers, sending them to 0-7 and now the team is looking like it's going to be having a very tough time keeping Greg Schiano and after the game some of the best fantasy options include Mike James, Brandon LaFell, Cam Newton, DeAngelo Williams as well as Steve Smith going forward.
The Buccaneers will continue to have a very tough season and with Doug Martin out of the lineup, Mike James will be the top running back and while he didn't have a huge day on Thursday night, it was good enough to show that the team can trust him in the future as the starting back. Heading into the game, James had only three carries over his previous four games before getting 14 in relief of Martin last Sunday and last night he had 10 carries for 39 yards and looked solid running the ball against a top five defense.
James also showed off his versatility catching the ball and that will keep him in the lineup, as he had four catches for 25 yards and while he didn't get into the endzone, he had an impressive 20-yard reception and now he could be a solid handcuff back even if Martin returns. The Buccaneers are terrible, but James at least is a solid pickup, especially in PPR or deeper leagues with multiple running backs in the lineup. Peyton Hillis is the best sleeper pick of the week against the Eagles and other players to lookout for includes Brandon LaFell, Mike Tolbert and DeAngelo Williams from the Panthers.
The Carolina Panthers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers played on Thursday night football and the Panthers won out for their third straight win 31-13 in a game broadcast on the NFL Network and the game started up at 8:25 pm and is a divisional matchup in the NFC South between the two teams at Raymond James Stadium for the Week 8 game to start the schedule before the trade deadline next week.
The Panthers are 3-3 this season and that is a big deal for the team under Ron Rivera, while Greg Schiano looks to be on his way out with the 0-6 Buccaneers and now the two teams will do battle for the first game in Week 8 on the schedule. The Panthers come into the game with an improved Cam Newton, who has been much more accurate than he had in his first two seasons and he showed that off last week with over 80 percent of his passes completed. While Newton didn't have the best statistical day, that isn't what it's all about and he was in command and made smart plays all game as the team defeated the Rams last Sunday.
The Panthers won the game despite St. Louis having the top players in passing yards, rushing yards and receiving yards in the game and now the Panthers have the chance to win three in a row before what could be their toughest stretch of the season against some very good teams. The offense has been moving much better than last season under Rob Chudzinski, but he now is in Cleveland and things have been very productive in the running game, ranking seventh in rushing yards with just over 130 yards per game. Steve Smith and Greg Olsen are the leaders in yards and receptions and Brandon LaFell is emerging as a go-to receiver for Newton. The rushing game will get a boost when Jonathan Stewart comes back and things have been going pretty well with DeAngelo Williams and Mike Tolbert.
The team will next play against the Atlanta Falcons after playing the Buccaneers and the team then has a huge game against the San Francisco 49ers on the road in Cali and with west coast trips always being hard, the team will have an extra day off. That extra day off though comes with its own complications, as the New England Patriots are next on the schedule for Monday night football on ESPN and then the team has two road games in three weeks. The team plays against the Miami Dolphins and then will be home against the Buccaneers on December 1 and then the team has its first of two games in three weeks against the Saints.
The team will travel to New Orleans for that first game and then they will be home for two straight, having the New York Jets and then the New Orleans Saints and then the team finishes on the road with a division game with the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. The Panthers at a good time, as they just lost their sixth straight game after dropping to the Falcons on Sunday and they also lost starting running back Doug Martin in that game and he will be out for Thursday. Lucky Panthers, although they have a top 10 rushing and passing defense this season.