The fantasy football week still has one more matchup to go and it's a good one, as the New England Patriots will visit the streaking Carolina Panthers for Monday night football on ESPN and for fantasy owners, the Panthers have a number of players to start and sit, including Cam Newton, Steve Smith, Greg Olsen, Mike Tolbert, DeAngelo Williams and of course the defense.
The team comes into the matchup playing very well overall, winning five games in a row and ranking in the top five in both passing yards and rushing yards allowed per game and that will be something the Patriots need to overcome on MNF. Can Newton has been playing very well and now he has his team in a possible spot for the playoffs and they also can strike the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South division, as they have two matchups against the team in the coming weeks and are close behind with a 6-3 record after the Saints won this weekend. Now both the Saints and the Panthers have won against the 49ers, although arguably the win for Carolina was a bit more impressive since they were on the road.
The Patriots defense has been good enough to win games, but that doesn't mean they aren't giving up too many yards and that will be something to watch on Monday night. Newton is completing over 60 percent of his passes this season and that is better than his career average and he comes into the game with 13 touchdowns and nearly 2,000 yards passing, while he has also rushed for 266 yards and four scores. This season Newton has been smarter with the football and has been getting hit less and he has over 200 yards passing in four out of his last five games, while passing for seven touchdowns and just three picks, all wins for the Panthers.
Newton is a big START on Monday night and he will be the key to whether the Panthers can keep things going into Week 12. The team has been solid rushing the ball and that has been boosted by the return of Jonathan Stewart and the play of Mike Tolbert, but the big key has been DeAngelo Williams and while he played in just 20 snaps last week, he is a solid option for the game, as he comes in leading the team with over 560 yards rushing, including 46 yards last week. Williams average dover five yards per carry in that game and he is having an impressive season with 4.2 yards per carry and while he could get some touches stolen away by Tolbert, he is a solid start.
Speaking of Tolbert, anyone who is in need of a back that can score should START him, as he has twice as many TDs this season as Williams, including three over the past five games. Tolbert has been solid with 213 yards this season and while he has just two carries last week, he also has nine catches in the past three games and he could be a factor for PPR owners on Monday night. Steve Smith and Greg Olsen are the leading receivers on the team and they should be considered the best players to start, including over Brandon LaFell, who has been solid but very inconsistent.