New Orleans Saints
Brandin Cooks (Wide Receiver): Brandin Cooks had a frustratingly good day as he piled up more yards than in week 2's performance. Cooks caught 7 of 8 of his targets for 79 yards making him the most targeted person in this Saints offense. Cooks seems to start catching balls when the Saints are down by a lot and the fourth quarter is winding down so hopefully he can establish some kind of consistency heading into week 4.
Mark Ingram/CJ Spiller/ Khiry Robinson (Running Back): Ingram led the running backs with 14 carries for 50 yards and a touchdown. Ingram caught all 5 of his targets and made them count gaining 49 yards. Ingram continues to be the leader of this running back group while CJ Spiller has yet to define a role for himself. Spiller only had 1 carry for 4 yards and 2 catches for 22 yards. Spiller is coming off of multiple injuries however he has yet to really find a place for himself especially when the Saints are playing catch up through the air in most of their games. Robinson was the primary backup for Ingram and finished the day with 7 carries for 12 yards and a touchdown. He also caught 2 targets for 8 yards; he is becoming more and more of an option as the Saints struggle to find a use for CJ Spiller.
Carolina Panthers
Cam Newton (Quarterback): Newton finished with another QB1 performance racking up 33 yards and a touchdown on the ground and went 20/31 for 315 yards and 2 touchdowns in the air. Newton has been blowing away teams with his combination of run and pass and appears to have finally found his groove offensively.
Jonathan Stewart (Running Back): Stewart has been vultured by multiple offensive players in this Panthers offense. Cam Newton runs in touchdowns himself, and Mike Tolbert is a lot bigger and more physical than Stewart which means he gets the goal line touches. Stewart only finished the day with 14 carries for 52 yards.
Greg Olsen (Tight End): Olsen was one of my picks to dominate at the tight end position this week and he did not disappoint. Olsen finished the day catching 8 of 11 targets for 134 yards and 2 touchdowns. Olsen's monster day showed the Saints inability to guard the tight end and how much Cam Newtown depends on Olsen more than any of his wide receivers.
