Why to start Panthers’ Teddy Bridgewater, Mike Davis in fantasy football vs. Bears

Fantasy football managers have some intriguing Panther-related decisions to make this week to make when Carolina hosts the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

Last week I told you in this space to start four players on the Panthers’ offense if any were on your team. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (313 passing yards), running back Mike Davis (149 total yards, TD), wide receiver Robby Anderson (112 receiving yards) and wide receiver DJ Moore (93 yards, TD) repaid your faith.

Then again, that was against the winless Atlanta Falcons, who are so bad they fired their coach and GM a few hours later. This week the Panthers play a 4-1 Bears team with a much better defense. And then there’s also the Christian McCaffrey question to consider, one that will loom for at least the next several weeks. Let’s get started.

TEDDY BRIDGEWATER

Bridgewater had 261 yards in the first half against woeful Atlanta last week. He might not get that for the entire game against Chicago, which is giving up only 230.8 passing yards per game (10th in the NFL). Still, playing a QB on a hot streak at home is wise, unless your other QB has a really favorable matchup. A two-TD game from Bridgewater seems likely.

Verdict: Start him.

MIKE DAVIS

For three straight weeks since replacing the injured Christian McCaffrey, Davis has scored a touchdown. He’s also averaged 117 yards from scrimmage and has racked up an NFL-high 21 broken tackles, which isn’t a fantasy stat but should be.

But what about McCaffrey, who’s technically eligible to come off IR and play this week? I’d be shocked if it happened, especially the way Davis is playing. McCaffrey will almost certainly sit for at least one more week — and maybe two — which makes Davis the right play once again. Plus Davis used to be a Bear, and was under-utilized in Chicago. That won’t hurt, nor will the fact that Curtis Samuel was declared inactive Sunday morning with a knee injury.

Verdict: Start him.

CHRISTIAN McCAFFREY

I know you drafted McCaffrey No. 1 overall. I know you can’t wait for him to get back into the starting lineup.

You’re going to have to wait a week or two longer. McCaffrey was supposed to miss 4-6 weeks with his high-ankle sprain; this Sunday would be his fourth missed game. As Panthers coach Matt Rhule said Wednesday, the team isn’t planning on bringing McCaffrey off the injured-reserve list “right now.”

Verdict: Sit him.

DJ MOORE

That 57-yard catch-and-run TD last week was the play Moore needed to get going. The Bears won’t take the same sort of terrible tackling angles the Falcons did, but Moore is rounding into form.

Verdict: Start him.

ROBBY ANDERSON

One of these days, a team is going to concentrate so much manpower on Anderson (sixth in the league in receiving yards per game at 97.8) that they will shut him down. If you have other options, they are worth considering this week, given what the Bears did to Tom Brady and Tampa Bay. Still, Bridgewater loves Anderson, who has become much more than a deep threat.

Verdict: Start him.

CURTIS SAMUEL

The Panthers’ tight ends have so few targets and so little fantasy value that this week let’s discuss Carolina receiver Curtis Samuel instead. You can’t start him — he’s the Panthers’ third receiver, and he’s not playing Sunday due to a knee injury. Still, the Panthers are using him in interesting ways and Rhule has been lavishly praising him every week. He is worth a waiver-wire pickup if your league has a deep bench; Samuel could be valuable down the line.

Verdict: Sit him.

JOEY SLYE

Tied for fourth in the NFL in scoring, Slye has had at least three field goals in three separate games. The Panthers’ red-zone troubles increase his value, although you still will have to suffer an occasional missed extra point.

Verdict: Start him.

This story was originally published October 15, 2020 at 9:55 AM.

Scott Fowler

The Charlotte Observer

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Columnist Scott Fowler has written for The Charlotte Observer since 1994 and has earned 26 APSE awards for his sportswriting. He hosted The Observer’s podcast “Carruth,” which Sports Illustrated once named “Podcast of the Year.” Fowler also conceived and hosted the online series and podcast “Sports Legends of the Carolinas,” which featured 1-on-1 interviews with NC and SC sports icons and was turned into a book. He occasionally writes about non-sports subjects, such as the 5-part series “9/11/74,” which chronicled the forgotten plane crash of Eastern Air Lines Flight 212 in Charlotte on Sept. 11, 1974. Support my work with a digital subscription